Touch Me Not
by flowersinyourattic
Summary: In exchange for her normal elven traits, Miniel is born with a powerful gift she so dreadfully hated. Because of this, she is forced to leave her home for Valinor, but along the way, she ends up traveling with the company of Thorin Oakenshield instead. Will she be able to leave them behind in Rivendell or will a certain dwarf prince convince her to join them in their quest? Kili/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! So I decided to try my hand at posting stuff. Here it's actually my first time to write in a different fandom hehe. Initially, I wasn't planning to post this but I got excited about it and I wanted to see if other people would enjoy it haha. Anyway, it is well known that King Thranduil has no daughter and there is no mention of his wife in Tolkien's works, but I decided to put a spin on that haha. I'll base this both from the movie and the book, but I'll mostly use the movie. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit, or any of Tolkien's work. I only own the OCs you will encounter, and the plot of _this_ story. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Today was the day.

The hustle and bustle of the Woodland Realm was enough for Miniel to lock herself up in her room in aggravation for the time being. She perched herself up on her windowsill and waited until she was called to meet with her father, intent on watching the Forest River swiftly flow through the palace and hoping it would take her with it.

Unfortunately for her, that was unlikely to happen.

Her mind raced endlessly with thoughts that fed her fear and anxiety. She was only 75-years-old! She hasn't even grown into a full-sized elf yet! And now they were sending her off to place she has only read about in books. Yes, she has always dreamed of leaving Mirkwood and exploring the big, mysterious world ahead of her, but she didn't want them to send her away, even if it was for her own good. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself that this was for the best, she couldn't grasp the idea of leaving her home. But it wasn't just her home she will miss. She couldn't stand the heart-wrenching pain she felt whenever she thought about leaving her friends and family—most especially her older brother. Just thinking about leaving her only best friend made her tear up.

She really didn't know who to blame for all this. Her father, for sending her away? Or her mother, for ever giving birth to her? Or, more especially, her powers, for being a danger to them all? She had all this anger bottled up inside of her, but she didn't know who, or what, to direct it to, and that angered her even more.

Her tears were threatening to slide down her cheeks when a knock interrupted her thoughts and echoed in her room. She snapped her head towards the source of the sound, causing her breath to hitch.

_It was time. _

She didn't have much time to calm down and soothe her nerves when she was informed that her father was calling for her. He may be fashionably late whenever he wanted to, but making him wait was practically unthinkable to him. She stood up and smoothed out her riding attire, blinking back her tears and composing herself. Taking a couple of deep breaths to hopefully do the trick, she walked to the door, although jaggedly, and opened it.

She was greeted by a couple of guards she would usually hunt with. On any normal day, their grins would form effortlessly, followed by a sincere greeting. Today, however, wasn't any normal today—it was far from it. She could see that their smiles were beginning to falter, and their eyes betrayed them instantly. It broke her heart to see them pretending like nothing was wrong. She was going to miss them dearly, as with everyone else in Mirkwood. As she walked past Silvan elves attending to their duties, she could not imagine life without them.

As they entered the Elvenking's throne room, a scowl began to form on Miniel's face as her father's pacing figure came into view. The worry in his eyes was evident, but it wasn't enough for her to forgive him fully for what he is ordering her to do. Upon reaching the last step and realizing he was still stuck in his own reverie, Miniel cleared her throat to get her father's attention.

King Thranduil snapped his head up, his blue eyes bigger (and more worried) than usual. Seeing his daughter standing before him, he immediately plastered the best smile he could manage on his face and nodded to the guards to leave.

"Ah, my beloved daughter. Finally." His smile never seemed to crack even under Miniel's ever-present scowl. "Are you ready for your journey?"

"Am I ready to leave my home and all my loved ones? Why, yes, I am truly excited," Miniel retorted. If any other person had answered back to the king in a very rude manner, he would have his head on a silver platter in the his study, but it is only her daughter who could make him show the guilt in his eyes.

"This is for your own good, Miniel. You know why you must go to Valinor."

Miniel rolled her eyes_. Ah, of course. Here we go again, _she thought. "Yes, I understand that dark forces are after my gift, but is it necessary to send me away from my own home? Could we not just tell them of my limitations—"

"_Tell them_?" The bewildered look on his face made her stand still on her place. The king, on the other hand, began pacing and throwing his hands in the air. "We _cannot_ just tell them, Miniel!"

He could not believe the naivety of his own daughter. A princess? _His_ princess? Thinking childish thoughts? He simply shook his head at the idea. She maybe wise beyond her years, but she could really bring out her immature side when she wanted to.

Thranduil stopped pacing and walked over to his daughter, placing both hands on her shoulders and bending down to her level.

"Miniel, you have to understand, these dark forces are nothing but pure evil. You cannot reason with them unless it will benefit them. Once they have used you, you will mean nothing to them. Whether you can see their future or not, they will kill you."

Thranduil paused, giving Miniel time to let that idea sink in. He could not lie to her, nor sugarcoat anything that his happening to her. He cannot hide the fact that her life—and if she stays in Mirkwood, everyone else's—is in danger. He cannot assure her that her life will be okay as long as these dark forces are still lurking, but if sending her away would be the best way to make sure that she will be safe even while this evil exists, then so be it.

If Miniel thought no one could beat the pain she has to endure for the remainder of her life, she better think again.

"Trust me when I say I do not want to send you away, but I would rather you be safe somewhere else than stay here where you will easily be found. As a father, I am only doing what is best for you. You may not understand now, but I know you will in the future."

Miniel couldn't wrap her mind around the gravity of the situation. It was too much for her to handle. The thought of dark forces wanting to kill her never crossed her mind until today, and the idea that she could very well put the lives of her people in danger was too much for her to bear. She knew being a princess was not all rainbows and butterflies, but she never thought her responsibilities would come to this.

"Do not forget, you are no ordinary princess. There are people in this world that will use your gift for the wrong reasons and you must remember to protect yourself. Trust no one, do you understand?" Thranduil warned as his grip on her shoulders tightened.

The seriousness and urgency in her father's tone overwhelmed her. Nothing was sinking into her mind and she has never felt so lost in her life. She was only a child; she wasn't supposed to be worrying about dark forces or bad people. What had she done to deserve this kind of fate?

The overwhelming feeling that took over her body was soon replaced with anger once she realized how this all came to be. It was all because of her gift—her stupid, annoying gift. _Gift? Try curse, _she thought.

"Yes, father. I understand," Miniel replied, failing to hold back her resentment. She wasn't ready to take on this much responsibility, yet she knew she had no choice. And that's what she resented the most.

Thranduil's eyes fell upon realizing he wasn't getting through to her, and said no more to plead his case. He let go of her and stood up straighter, turning around to walk back to his throne.

"Do not forget, never take your gloves off. I expect to hear from you once you arrive in Rivendell," he concluded, taking a seat on his throne. "Send my regards to Lord Elrond while you are there."

Miniel could not deny the pain she felt at her father's parting words. Her scowl returned as she tried her best not to disrespect her father, the king. _Of course, leave it to him to ruin very sentimental moments,_ her mind seethed.

She bowed reluctantly. "Certainly, your majesty."

Without even waiting for her father's orders, she turned on her heel, her silvery blond hair fanning out and falling back into place gracefully as she left. She stomped down the steps, her guards right behind her, not even bothering to hide the anger that was threatening to cause trouble. As she left her father's throne room, the first thought that popped into her head was to look for her brother before she left. If there's one thing she isn't going to allow herself to be deprived of, it was saying goodbye to her dear big brother.

Without even asking any of the guards, they guided her to his location, which—coincidentally enough—was the stable. He spotted him saddling up her horse, Arvellon, along with other guards that were preparing for their journey.

"Gorondir, take over while I fetch my sister," he ordered to one of the guards.

"Oh, don't worry, Legolas. That won't be necessary," Miniel quipped with a grin on her face.

He had just finished up buckling the saddle on her horse when he saw her move towards them.

"Well, aren't you excited to leave?" he joked, earning him a glare. "I take it the talk with father did not go well?"

Miniel scoffed. "He tells me to send his regards to Lord Elrond without even saying a proper goodbye! That man is devoid of any emotion other than worry."

Legolas could not hide his amusement. He was surely going to miss her mindless banters. "That man is your king, and most importantly, your father. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe this is difficult for him too? You are his only daughter after all."

"And _you_ are his only son. He loves you more than me. Kings always love the sons," she said, helping him arrange her things on the saddle. There was no denying that Thranduil prefers the company of his son, and she was at peace with that. What really, _really_ boils her blood was the fact that he kept her sheltered in their world ever since she was born, and because her mind always wandered to places she was not allowed to visit, this did not sit well with her.

"You know that is not true," Legolas protested. "Do not forget that he is very protective of you."

"Protective?" Miniel could not stop the laugh that threatened to leave her lips. "He practically kept me as prisoner here at Mirkwood. That hardly counts as protective."

"You know why he had to do that. And besides, aren't you supposed to be happy? You're finally going on a journey! Something you've always wanted."

Miniel could not match her brother's excitement. "But you're not coming with me, and I'm not coming back."

Legolas immediately regretted his choice of words. He couldn't stand the pained expression on his little sister's face. She was only 75, for Valar's sake! He couldn't fathom how hurt, how confused and how angry she was that all this was happening to her. She was way too young to endure all this. If only he could change his fate, he would exchange it with hers so she wouldn't have to go through with all this.

Legolas ignored his duties and took his sister in his arms. The fact that he might never see his dear sister again was unthinkable; yet here it was, happening before his eyes. He held her tighter with the hope that if he held her tight enough, maybe she wouldn't be able to leave. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to his best friend—not now, not ever—but he couldn't let his selfishness put them all in danger. It was just a sacrifice both of them had to make, whether they liked it or not.

He finally ended their embrace and held her at arms length, bending down a little bit to her level. "If I could go with you, you know I would, in a heartbeat. But—"

"Father needs you," Miniel finished for him, not with resentment or anger, but finally, with understanding. "I know."

Legolas simply smiled, finally recognizing the Miniel he knew before this whole ordeal began. He engulfed her in another hug, cherishing the presence of his little sister while she was still there. Miniel hugged him as tight as she could, for she knew that it would be a while before they could see each other again.

However, their moment was cut short when a guard approached them.

"My lord, I am sorry to interrupt, but the princess must depart as soon as possible."

Both siblings sighed and reluctantly let each other go. It was hard for them to believe, but it was time. Legolas dismissed the guard who approached them and ordered everyone else to mount their horses and get ready. He helped Miniel mount her own horse, and handed her bow and quiver of arrows, which she wore around her torso.

Before they announced her departure, Legolas reached behind his head and undid the clasp that held his hair in place.

"Here," he said, placing the clasp in her gloved hand.

Miniel, shocked by this gesture, held the clasp closer to her face and examined it. It was very familiar to her, not because Legolas wore it everyday, but because she'd seen someone else wear it—someone she never had the chance of meeting.

"Is this—"

"Mother's?" Legolas smiled, hoping it would actually mean something to her.

She had never met their mother. She saw her only in pictures and knew about her life through stories. She never got the chance to connect with her physically, and while she tried her best to connect with her spiritually, their mother still felt like a distant figure. She was only just a myth to her, someone she had a time believing existed.

She still felt grateful, nonetheless. This clasp had always been a part of Legolas, something passed on to him before their mother's unfortunate death, and she was happy she at least had a part of them with her in her journey.

She turned to Legolas, tears brimming her eyes, as she replaced the clasp in her hair with this one.

"Thank you," she whispered, leaning down to pull Legolas into another hug.

Before they both knew it, she was riding out the gates of the Woodland Realm and into the trees of Mirkwood, her heart heavy and her face only displaying a somber expression as she moved further away from the place she will always call her home.

* * *

**Ta-da! As you can see, no dwarves yet, and I will warn you, even in the next chapter. I will post the next two chapters soon, and at the same time so you'll get your dwarves haha. By the way, I have 13 chapters written and another one coming along so don't worry, I'll update frequently :-)**

**If you see any discrepancies with my story like tolkien facts or spelling or grammar, feel free to tell me and I'll change it :-) Tell me what you think and thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here is the next chapter! The events of this chapter will lead Min to the dwarves, and while it's not exactly a happy chapter, bear with me, because Fili and Kili are in the next one haha. Enjoy!**

* * *

As the sunlight hit her face at the break of dawn, Miniel couldn't wait to open her eyes.

It had been five days since their journey began, and once sunlight broke through the darkness of Mirkwood, Miniel was finally rid of her bitter attitude and soaked up the scenery before her. A vast field with bright, blue skies and tall, fresh grass lay right in front of her, and she took in the natural, earthy smell that wafted into her nose.

She marveled at how healthy and natural everything was; how vibrant it all looked and felt and she loved every moment of it. Since she was old enough to wander the forest (well, to sneak out and wander), all she ever saw was the sickness and darkness that inhabited their once beloved Greenwood, and she was determined to return it to its former glory. But for now, she just couldn't wait to see what else lay ahead of them.

_Maybe brother was right. I _might_ just enjoy this journey_, she thought as she got up to stretch for the new day.

It was the beginning of their sixth day, and she allowed her companions to sleep in as she watched the sun slowly rise over the horizon. Recalling the sunsets she watched outside her bedroom window, she didn't remember them to be this…euphoric. The smell of the trees and the breeze that gently tickled her fair skin, plus the sound of the birds happily greeting the forest with chirps all made watching the sunset a very different, peaceful experience.

As the other elves awoke one by one, they all had a quick breakfast and packed up their belongs to continue forward. They disposed of the remains of their fire from last night to make sure they did not leave a trail for any potential danger that might follow, and left without looking back.

* * *

As the day dragged on, Miniel found herself absently-mindedly staring at her hands and cleaning her fingernails. She wouldn't usually take off her gloves—that was definitely a no-no even when she kept her hands to herself—but she did not expect the guards to be _this_ boring on their journey. After all, they could be stuck together for weeks. She would talk to one of them and ask questions about where they were or where they were going next, and he or she would always answer with a very brief, straight-to-the-point reply. She was hoping to get some myths and legends out of them, but she suspected her father ordered them to keep to themselves and stay focused on the way to Rivendell.

_Ha! Of course you'd ruin this journey for me, _she thought bitterly as her grip around the reigns tightened. Miniel noticed the sudden awareness of Arvellon and quickly stroked his mane to calm him down. Taking an apple from one of her pouches, she held it under Arvellon's mouth and he immediately scarfed it down.

"Good boy," Miniel whispered as she continued to stroke his mane.

She continued on watching the path in front of her until her ears perked up. Her head immediately snapped to the direction of the sound. She was unsure of what it was, but all the other elven guards around her noticed the sound as well. Recognizing the worry in their eyes, a sinking feeling in her stomach told her that something bad was going to happen, something she forgot to anticipate at the beginning of this trip.

The whole company came to a halt when they heard the rustling of leaves to their left.

"Arm yourselves," one of the guards warned.

Each and every elven guard produced a bow and an arrow, ready to shoot any threat that will harm the company.

Although reluctantly, Miniel did the same, loading her bow and aiming it at any untargeted direction. She was fairly good with a bow—heck, it's all she's ever done in Mirkwood—but the concept of having to kill someone, or something, with it terrified her. She may have the gift of seeing the future, but she did not want to withhold the gift of the future from anyone, whether they were good or evil.

As the sound of rustling leaves and heavy footsteps grew nearer, all the horses started stepping back, forming a circle at their spot. The suspense of it all left Miniel's heart pounding so hard against her chest it felt like it was about to explode any minute now. She had never been this scared in her life, and the reality that bad people existed in this world was hard for her to grasp.

The closer the sounds came, the more the elves composed themselves, ready to release their arrows into any potential attacker. They waited patiently, focusing on the nearest sound they could hear. As the rustling grew prominently louder, Miniel's anxiety reached her peak, only to be let down by a small group of rabbits emerging from a bush and scampering off in fear.

Miniel sighed with relief, but the other elves knew better. There would be no reason for them to scamper off like that unless there was someone, or something, scaring them away.

And that's when it happened. Miniel released the only arrow she would draw at this battle, before she was knocked off her horse and fell side ways on the ground. The impact of the fall left her motionless and disoriented.

_What was happening? _Her mind continued to race with this question as she heard multiple shrieks of pain. Her heart beat faster than ever before and tears started to form around her eyes. But then she realized, that shrill, grotesque shriek could not have come from an elf. No, it couldn't have. If it wasn't an elf, then what was it—

As if her mind was being read, a disgusting figure dropped beside her, an arrow shot right into its forehead. Her eyes went wide with fear as she realized what was attacking them.

_Orcs_.

The sight of black liquid trickling down the side of this orc's face was enough to get her on her feet and start moving. Before she could even draw another arrow, she was pushed into a bush with a strong force. Her protests were left ignored as the elf that pushed her ordered her to be quiet and stay hidden. She did not want to be _that_ princess. She did not want to be defended by others. She thought she was fully capable of defending herself, until another loud shriek, and a sound of a horse whinny were enough to convince that maybe staying hidden was a good idea.

She curled herself up into a ball and peaked through the holes the bush offered. She watched in horror and amazement as the bloodbath in front of her continued to happen. Orcs kept coming in every direction, and it surprised her how the elves handled the situation with such grace and finesse. They managed to shoot down every orc that came at them, and as their numbers began to dwindle, she felt a little bit of relief wash over her.

As a few more orcs remained, Miniel was ready to come out of hiding, until a loud roar broke into the atmosphere, and a white warg came into view, with a pale orc as its rider. Miniel covered her mouth as a whimper almost escaped her lips. She could not believe her eyes.

The pale orc, carrying with it a large mace, charged towards the elves and swung its mace to the first one in its way. The elven guard flew off his horse, landing on the ground with a loud thud as blood started to seep through his clothes. Other elves turned their aim to him, but were stopped by the remaining orcs before they could even release their arrows.

The elves were helpless at this point, and Miniel wanted to help. She couldn't let her company sacrifice their lives for her, not in vain especially. She wanted to get on her feet and shoot her arrows, but she remained frozen on the ground, unsure of whether she had enough courage to do that.

Her grip on her bow tightened as another elf tasted the wrath of the pale orc's mace, and this time, was picked up off the ground in the white wargs teeth. Tears slid down her cheeks as she caught a glimpse of the elf's face, distorted in pain and fear. She felt helpless, crippled by fear and guilt as she watched her kin being murdered in front of her.

She could not stand to see the blood of her people smeared on to the hands of these dirty, disgusting, evil creatures. As the pale orc swung its mace for the last time, aiming for remaining elf's head, she covered her mouth with her hands as she muffled the sobs that wanted to escape her lips. She took one last longing look at her company, lifeless on the ground, before closing her eyes and wishing this would all go away.

Her mourning had to be cut short when the roar of the pale orc echoed in the forest. He spoke in a language she did not understand, yet she had an inkling of what—or more specifically who—they were talking about. She willed her sobs to stay hidden in her throat as she thought of an escape plan.

The adrenaline that pumped through her veins told her to get up and run, as fast as her legs could take her, but she knew better than that. There was no way she could outrun a warg, and she wasn't stupid enough to try. Slowly, she took a couple of deep breaths to soothe her nerves and think better. She knew she didn't have much time. Sooner or later, they'll figure out that she's behind the bushes, and she'd rather stick around when that happens.

Once she was calm and ready to move, she took one more glance at the orcs, who were rummaging through their things and searching the fallen elves' bodies. She looked away instantly when one orc stabbed an elf with his own blade, her heart pounding again at the sight of her dead company.

She had to move. She knew she had to get away from there, _immediately_. She didn't know where to go, but she had to get away from the scene before her. Carefully, she placed her bow around her body and got on all fours, crawling forward without even thinking of where she was going. She kept crawling and crawling, dodging twigs and leaves and anything that would make too much noise.

Thinking she was far enough, she crawled behind a tree and stood up. As she pressed her back against it, she took the biggest breath of her life before she could muster the courage to sprint off deeper into the woods, hoping—praying—the orcs were not right behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

**I apologize for this one, because I accidentally interchanged the raining scene and the scene where Fili and Kili joke about the orcs. It was an unconscious mistake, but it hey, it didn't really mess up the story haha. Have some endearing "brotherly bonding". Enjoy!**

* * *

Days have passed since the company of Thorin Oakenshield left the quiet little town of Hobbiton and were on their way to Erebor to reclaim their homeland.

The journey started out lively, everyone talking as loud as the next dwarf. Bilbo, who wasn't exactly getting along nicely with the dwarves yet, stayed at the front with Thorin, who also preferred to stay focused on the path that lay ahead instead of babbling on and on about what the journey might bring.

All the other dwarves talked about all the potential obstacles they would face, and which one of them would be the hero of it. Of course, each on of them wouldn't let his ego get hurt, resulting in numerous heated discussions and unnecessary threats, but at the end of the day, everything ended with a joke and a cheerful song. They couldn't imagine anything going wrong in their journey, not when these dwarves were by each other's side.

That is until the weather caught up with them and decided to rain on their parade. Literally.

"Mr. Gandalf," Dori started, holding a large leaf above his head, "can't you do something about this _deluge_?"

Everyone rolled their eyes at Dori's choice of words. They usually didn't mind the sophistication he always brought to the conversation, yet today, everything just annoyed them to death. They wanted to find shelter, yet there was none, and soon enough, someone was bound to get sick.

Gandalf let out an exasperated sigh and sat up straighter on his pony. "It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard."

Dori, offended by Gandalf's response, huffed and stuck his nose up in the air, staying silent for the rest of the day. The rest of the company drowned out the conversation between Gandalf and Bilbo as the rain continued to fall harder on them.

All the way at the back, two dwarf princes slumped on their ponies and sulked. When they forced their Uncle Thorin to let them join the company—with incessant begging on their knees, mind you—they expected it to be fun and exciting, not uneventful and downright _boring_. Since they were tasked to stay at the back and keep watch for any signs of danger, Fili and Kili only had each other to keep them company. The others would hang back a bit and chat with them from time to time, but it was mostly just the two of them.

"Mahal, when is this rain ever going to stop?" Kili complained, keeping one hand on his hood so he could see while not being splattered on the face with the rain. His shoulders were slumped forward as he held onto the reigns loosely.

"Maybe if you keep your mouth shut, it will," Fili grumbled under his breath. He wasn't usually this agitated, especially when it came to his younger brother, but his nonstop whining has been driving him mad since the rain started. He loved Kili to death, but if peace and quiet meant knocking him out for a little while, he wouldn't mind giving a punch or two.

Kili's ears perked up at the sound of his brother's voice and snapped his head towards him. "What?"

Fili, only turning to his brother halfway, raised his eyebrows up innocently and shrugged. "I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did," Kili retorted.

"No. No, I didn't," Fili insisted.

"Stop lying, brother. I heard you mumbling. What did you say?"

"_Nothing_."

"You definitely said _something_, or else we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"I wish we weren't having this conversation."

"Well, that's a mean thing to say."

"Well, maybe if—"

"Stop," Thorin suddenly bellowed. At the same time, everyone pulled on their reigns and commanded their ponies to stop, turning to their leader and waiting for his orders.

Fili and Kili looked at each other nervously, waiting for their uncle to give them his infamous death glare. They weren't _that_ annoying, were they? If looks could kill, Thorin's could kill you, bring you back to life, but only to kill you again. Fili and Kili would know; they've been on the receiving end of that glare countless times.

However, instead of the death glare, Thorin turned to his company with the same irritated expression everyone had (mostly because they were still under the rain) and gestured towards a cave opening.

"We'll camp in here until this weather lets up," Thorin ordered, directing his pony to the cave.

Relieved to hear this news, everyone followed their leader into shelter, and soon enough, all the dwarves are huddled around a fire to keep themselves warm and dry.

* * *

By the time the rain stopped, night fell upon the dwarves. Thorin wasn't too happy about this, but they had no choice but stay and rest until morning. The night had only began, but all the dwarves already lay down on their bedrolls to get some much needed sleep, except for Fili and Kili, that is. They didn't like night watches, mostly because nothing ever really happens, and the first time they tried to prank Dwalin, he threatened to smash their heads in with his bare hands. It's not like he'd actually do it, but they weren't taking any chances.

"How long 'til our watch ends?" Kili suddenly piped up, impatiently drumming his fingers on his knee.

"A couple more hours," Fili replied, taking his pipe out of his mouth and blowing smoke in Kili's direction.

"Arse," Kili mumbled as he swatted the smoke away. Fili chuckled under his breath and brought the pipe back into his mouth. For the next few minutes, both brothers remained silent and got lost in their own thoughts.

The older of the two Durin heirs kept his eyes trained on the fire, watching it flicker as he thought about home and how his loved ones were doing. He wondered if his mother was still up reading or tidying the house, but then he chuckled to himself. _What's there to tidy when Kili and I aren't even around, _he thought, but that immediately resulted into a frown. He couldn't fathom how worried and anxious his mother is at the moment—or if she's worried and anxious at all. She never really was one to dwell on certain things when she knew she couldn't do anything about them, but he liked to think she was thinking about them right now, hoping her sons would return home soon—unscathed especially.

While Fili's mind wandered back to the Blue Mountains, Kili's mind was off exploring the world he didn't even know about. His mind couldn't stop wondering where this journey will take them next. He was hoping for a smooth sailing trip, but his reckless side was still wishing they get to fight off nasty creatures like orcs and goblins. For a young dwarf that hasn't even been to battle, he was really self-assured of his own skills, and was just itching to show them off. He could just picture the future right in front of him: his people returning home to Erebor, starting a new life and rebuilding their glory once again, while people told tales of his bravery and courageousness. The thought of other little dwarflings growing up on tales about their noble journey brought a smile on his face. They were far away from the Lonely Mountain, but he knew it would all be worth it once they take back what is rightfully theirs.

As both brothers continued to stare off in different directions, they were currently unaware of the screams that echoed in the forest they inhabited. They were faint sounds in the distance, and neither of them took notice them, until these screams were accompanied by guttural sounds of laughter that did not sound human.

The first one to snap back to reality was Fili, and once Kili sensed his brother's eyes on him, he was brought back to the present and focused on his brother with a confused look.

"What?" the younger Durin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fili took a moment to answer, waiting for the sounds again. "Did you hear that?"

Kili furrowed his eyebrows and concentrated on the silence around them. For a few seconds, nothing could be heard except the rustling of leaves and the sounds of the Bombur's snoring.

But that's when they heard it. Loud, clear, and most especially, near.

Both brothers looked at each other nervously, telepathically asking each other what to do. They never expected anything to happen on their watch, not early into the journey while they were still in the Great East Road, but this unexpected twist left them blank.

"We should go see what it is," Kili suddenly decided, getting on his feet and guessing which way the sound came from.

"Are you mad, brother?" Fili whisper-screamed, standing up as well to stop his brother. "We're not entirely sure if what's out there is safe. We should think of a plan first."

"Fili, that was a _woman_ we just heard. What if she doesn't have time to wait for a plan?"

Before Fili could even get another word in, Kili had already released himself from his brother's grip and was following the sound of rustling leaves in the forest. He only stopped when he heard another scream, making sure he caught the direction and walking towards it.

Fili let out a frustrated sigh as he smacked a hand on his forehead. He knew they only had a short amount of time to think of a plausible plan to keep them safe and unharmed, but he wasn't stupid enough to walk into the scene without one. As his brother disappeared into the forest, the older prince looked around their sleeping company and woke them all up one by one, making sure his uncle would be the last.

* * *

She couldn't believe it. How could they have found her? She made a conscious effort to mask her scent as much as possible, and she couldn't imagine how the orcs managed to pick up it up.

It was all down to fight or flight, and Miniel wasn't stupid enough to confuse bravery with cockiness. She ran, as fast and as lightly as she can. She couldn't stop to climb a tree just yet; these ones were too tall and she would easily be caught. She didn't know how long she was running for, but all she knew was they were still behind her. She could feel them, and hear their noisy footsteps thumping on the marshy ground of the forest.

_Don't panic, Miniel, just keep running and you'll be alright,_ she assured herself, but that was easier said than done. Every footstep she heard caused her heart to skip a beat, and she didn't know how long she had left until she let fear paralyze her.

As she kept running, she could see a huge slab of rock up a head. It was still a bit far, but she could see a faint light flickering behind it. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together and realize there was someone camping up a head.

She felt relief overtake her body as this realization dawned on her. It was enough to motivate her to run faster, even if she could feel her lungs giving out. As the light drew closer and closer, she could already taste the safety she desperately sought after since the orcs attacked her company.

Just when she thought luck was on her side, her legs came to a sudden stop when two orcs appeared in front of her. They taunted her with sneers and swings of their swords, and she was pretty much frozen on the spot as they started towards her.

_Don't panic, Miniel, don't panic_. Her mind kept repeating this mantra over and over again as she thought of a way escape. She can't panic now. She can't panic _at all_. She was an elf, and the daughter of an elven king at that. She wasn't supposed to let her fear take a hold of her. In fact, she should already be bringing out any of her weapons and preparing to fight.

Fortunately, she managed to come to her senses and loading her bow. She hesitated for a second, taking shaky breaths as she watched the orcs come near her. Once she had the courage to let go of the arrow, she suddenly fell face first to the ground with a yelp.

* * *

**And this is the last one I'll post for now. :-) I'm already writing the Rivendell scenes as of now, and the story is slowly coming together haha. I'm sorry if the next few scenes will be a bit boring. They're more of introductory chapters. I'm sorry if you don't like reading a lot of paragraphs, but can't continue the story without them haha. I promise you, there will be more dwarves in the next chapters. Again, I'll post two at the same time because the next chapter won't really be filled with that much dwarf action, but the next ones after that will be more long and exciting. :-)**

**Tell me what you think, and thanks for reading! :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Here's the next chapter of Touch Me Not! Enjoy :-)**

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Miniel felt slimy arms pin her whole body to the ground, and her bow being knocked out of her hands. She heard the sickening sound of screechy laughter as more orcs approached her. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, not because she was terrified (okay, not only because), but if she could just get somebody's attention. If there was a campfire, then no doubt, there is a camper—or campers—nearby. She didn't really know for sure if they would help her, but she had to try to save herself somehow. But screaming was impossible, especially since there were orc feet pressed firmly on the quiver of arrows on her back.

_Don't panic, Miniel, don't panic. You will get out of this_, she assured herself, but she wasn't entirely convinced of her own words. Roughly, she could make out six orcs, and even if she had the skills to fight them off, she didn't have the courage to do it. It was in that moment she cursed herself for being…unelf-like. She did not grow up like normal elves, and her unusual short height already proved that. To top it off, she barely possessed any of the traits elves are said to have. She may be a skilled fighter, but having skills can only get you so far, and this very moment proved that.

She could already feel the air leaving her lungs, and she desperately thought of plans to get her out of this mess. However, her thinking was cut short when she was flipped over on her back and pinned to the ground again. One orc was assigned one limb, while the two remaining ones bantered on in a language she could not understand. Despite of that, it did not take her long to realize what they had been talking about. One of them approached her bow lying far away from them, while the other searched her body for weapons.

They spread her arms out to her side while her legs were forced apart. Miniel took a sharp intake of breath as she felt its hands maliciously rake over her body. It took her sword, along with all the daggers on her belt, and the other hidden ones in her boots. It tossed it in a pile beside them, and while the clanking of the metal caused her heart to beat faster, the sound that came next caused it to stop beating entirely.

She heard a loud snap coming from the direction of where her bow was, and it was hard for her to accept they had snapped it in two. She didn't want to believe it, but the sight of it was clear as day, even in the darkness of this hour. She wanted to scream and thrash out and make the orc pay for breaking the one thing she treasured the most.

She didn't know what to feel at that moment. She would get sudden bursts of anger, which was then replaced by sadness, and then it would return back to anger. This cycle kept on going even after they forced her up to take the quiver off her body. The orc that searched her body threw it to the one that broke her bow, and that realization that it would continue breaking her things in half infuriated her. Rage had finally taken over all the sadness, and it was enough rage to make her fight her way out of the orcs hands.

She had done what she wanted: she screamed and thrashed out, and all that was left was to make these orcs pay.

No matter how hard she screamed and struggled, the orcs kept a firm grip on her, but that didn't stop her from trying to escape. She didn't care if they were spewing threats for her to stop. She just kept yelling and struggling until she was free from these nasty, disgusting hands.

She was already getting tired, and she debated on whether to stop and wait for them to do something, or keep going until she is able to free herself.

_No, keep going, Miniel, you have to get out of here. You can't stop no—_

Her pep talk was cut short when she felt a sharp object being dragged along her right arm. She let out the loudest yelp she had ever uttered, and this was absolutely the most painful thing her body has ever experienced. Her flesh was ripped open, and she could feel the blood seeping through her glove and her sleeve. Even after the blade had left her arm, the searing pain of the cut wouldn't go away. It burned her skin and the pain continued to shoot through her body. She couldn't stop the tears that were slowly sliding down the side of her head.

With her hands and legs still pinned down, she felt so exposed. Any of these orcs could inflict the same pain on her and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it except scream out in pain. Her tears started to fall rapidly, and the fact that she wasn't going to escape was finally settling in.

_They've won_, she thought, a sob involuntarily leaving her mouth. _I'm as good as dead_.

When she felt the tip of another blade grazing one of her cheeks, she couldn't stop herself from letting out loud, shaky breaths. Her chest rose up and down so fast, she wasn't sure if she could continue breathing. She closed her eyes tightly, her mind willing everything to go away.

She couldn't fathom how her life had come to this. One day she was just this little Woodland elf yearning to explore the world beyond the borders of their realm, and here she is now, close to death. These dark forces may have been ordered to spare her life for the time being, but that did not comfort her at all, for she knew her time was near. She wished she was able to see into her own future—at least she'd be prepared for whatever faith the gods have given her—but she cursed this burden she was given with. If only she wasn't born like this, she could be back home practicing her archery skills with her older brother.

She felt the knife being pressed onto her delicate skin, and as she waited for the blood to stain the ground, she thought about how much she let her father down. She may have strongly disagreed with him in the past, but he was still her father. No matter what disagreement fell upon them, she would still love him unconditionally.

As the pressure rose on her cheek, her breathing hitched as she braced herself for the pain that was about to come. She waited, and she waited, and she waited, and she…waited.

A piercing shriek drummed in her ears as she felt the pressure on her cheek leave. Her eyes shot up and looked for the source of the sound, and she the orc that was holding the knife lying dead beside her, an arrow shot through his head.

Another shriek echoed into the forest, and her left arm suddenly broke free from the grasp of the orc. Another shriek followed, then another. She could hear the sound of the arrows flying through the air, yet she couldn't see where they were coming from.

When all her hands and legs were freed from the orcs, she got to her feet and went through her pile of weapons for a knife. Sensing an orc charging towards her, she did not hesitate this time and threw it, watching it stick into the orcs head.

She was a little relieved to see there were no more orcs around, but the rustling of leaves caught her ears' attention, and she picked up two more knives and pointed it to the direction of the sound.

"Whoa, whoa, I mean no harm."

She had one of her knives raised up to his neck, and although he did not look dangerous, she wasn't taking any chances, especially after what had just transpired earlier.

"What are you?" she asked demandingly.

She studied his appearance, and tried to make connections with whatever she had read in books back home. He was shorter than she is—_way_ shorter. His dark locks were a mess around his face, and she wanted so desperately to fix it. She also noticed the facial hair that graced his face. From what she had read, this little creature was supposed to be a dwarf, yet his lack of beard was making her rethink her choices.

"You have never seen my kind before?" he replied with a grin. He was a little taken aback by her question, but mostly because she was an elf. He had never seen an elf in the flesh before, but there was no doubt she was one with her pointy ears and long, shining, silvery hair.

"That does not answer my question," Miniel answered with a glare. She allowed the tip of her knife to press into his skin lightly to scare him a little, yet the grin on his face never faltered. Nothing could have frustrated her more at this moment.

"Well, you didn't answer mine—"

"Well, I asked you first." Miniel let a sly smile grace her lips as she saw the defeat in his eyes. "Who are you?"

Before Kili could introduce himself, he noticed her eyes move to the side. He was confused. Nothing else was around them, just lots and lots of trees.

"What's wro—"

"Shh."

Miniel's ears twitched when she heard it again. Heavy footsteps and loud breathing. Not just one, but two—no, five. Wait, there's more. Her muscles tensed. They didn't sound like orcs, but she wasn't sure what they were either. They weren't giants either; their footsteps would be way louder than this. What were they?

Just as she was about to come to the conclusion that they were dwarves, she heard the nearest one coming closer to them. She wouldn't have felt threatened at all, if she didn't hear the sound of swords swinging. Without thinking, she lifted her arm and threw her free knife.


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay we're almost getting to the good parts haha! Here's the next chapter :-)**

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"No!" Kili yelped. He tried to stop her from releasing the knife from her hand, but it was no use, not with the other one still positioned on his neck.

Kili shut his eyes tight, waiting for the sound of a body falling on the ground. He waited for minutes, but instead of hearing what he had expected, he heard his brother curse in Khuzdul. His eyes shot open and he saw his Fili's sleeve stuck to a tree with the elf's knife pierced through it. He sighed with relief and allowed himself to relax.

"How many of there are you?" Miniel demanded, turning back to the dwarf again.

"Why do you want to know?"

Miniel knew it wasn't his captive who spoke. She could already sense the others coming, but did nothing about it since she had no other weapons on her at the moment. She kept her eyes and knife trained on the dwarf in front of her, waiting for the others to make their move.

"Release the boy," Thorin ordered, his sword pointed threateningly towards her head.

Miniel did what she was told and faced the rest of them, putting her knife back into her belt. She was surprised to see a whole lot of them. She was only expecting 5 more others, not 11 more, plus a wizard and a creature a little bit smaller than them.

She spotted the blond dwarf that approached them earlier, still struggling to get her knife out of the tree. She tried to hold back her laughter as she watched the sword come closer to her neck.

The dark-haired dwarf she had encountered earlier rejoined the group, and it was only when she saw his bow and quiver of arrows did she realize it was him who saved her. She felt a little silly then, attacking her savior.

"You are from the Woodland Realm. Why are you in these parts?" Thorin asked, eyeing her face intently.

She looked so familiar, yet he could not figure out how he knew her face. He knew right from her clothing that she must have come from Mirkwood, yet she did not resemble the typical Silvan elf.

"Why should I tell you?" Miniel answered, crossing her arms and staring down at the dwarf.

Thorin's eyes were clouded with annoyance and frustration. He couldn't even stand to look at her anymore, when he noticed her pointed ears. Memories from his past came flooding back, and he tried his best not to unleash his anger on her, especially with his sword in his hands.

"Because if you don't, you will not live to see another day," Thorin threatened, pressing the blade of his sword deeper into her neck.

Miniel should have been afraid of that. Just a few moments ago, she tried to save herself from being killed. Now that this dwarf was threatening to take her life, all she could do was…laugh.

Kili furrowed his eyebrows. _She's laughing? She is _laughing_ at Uncle Thorin's threat?_ He was amazed and confused by her behavior. She did not want to be killed earlier, yet she is laughing at the possibility of death now? _Are all elves like this?_

"It's nice to know everyone is out to kill me today. Why don't you just get on with it and cut my head off?" Miniel prodded, taking a hold of Thorin's hand and forcing him to push the sword deeper into her skin.

Blood started to drip down Thorin's sword, and he just stood there, speechless. He did not expect this from her. In fact, he did not expect this from any elf. When she held his hand, it caused his body to stiffen and he wanted then and there to do what she asked, yet when she forced the blade onto herself, he could not stop the surprised expression on his face. He did not expect to kill this elf, but the sight of her couldn't make him stop.

Miniel looked back at Thorin, her eyes meeting his. The shocked look on his face driving her to keep going. The blade had managed to cut her skin now, and blood appeared on his sword. She did not even feel any pain at all. The whirlwind of events that was today had finally taken its toll on her. Since the orcs attacked her company, she had been living in fear and paranoia. Now that her life was being threatened again by this dwarf, she could not handle the fear anymore. She kept pressing the blade onto her neck, going and going until she felt a rough hand on hers.

"That is not a good idea, my dear."

Her eyes left Thorin's, and were now on the wizard. The grave look on his face alarmed her, yet the softness of his eyes kept her calm. _Does he know? _she thought immediately. She knew who this wizard was, but she wasn't sure if he knew her.

"_I know why you are here, dear Miniel. You cannot die now."_

Miniel stared back at the wizard in awe. She did not know where the voice came from, but she was certain it was Gandalf's. But how? She was not aware wizards could read minds, but then again, she didn't know anything about wizards at all. She didn't know anything about the world.

"_I will answer your questions, but you must first stop hurting yourself."_

Gandalf looked at her reassuringly. He had never known elves to be reckless, or afraid even, but he could sense the darkness that was slowly eating away at her mind. She was in no condition to think for herself, or even be alone, and he had to make sure this wouldn't happen.

Miniel relaxed as she allowed Gandalf's words to wash over her. She let go of the dwarf's hands and waited for him to retract his sword. She wasn't surprised when he hesitated, but she was thankful nonetheless. She took a deep breath and scanned the company, watching all their suspicious, yet startled, eyes waiting for her to do something.

"I'm trying to get to Rivendell, but I don't know where it is and I don't have a map. I'm not even sure where I am," she said, standing tall and calm.

"Why, my dear, you have already passed it," Gandalf chuckled, walking over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I have?" she asked incredulously. When Gandalf nodded at her question, she let out a frustrated sigh. This is why she did not want to be sheltered her whole life. The thought of her father reprimanding her every time she left the comfort of their home entered her mind, and she curled her hands into fists, trying her best not to scream out in anger.

"Calm down, there is no need to worry. We will help you get there," Gandalf assured her with a smile.

The whole company suddenly erupted in loud chattering. Every one of them called out their displeased reaction to this idea, and they weren't afraid to hide the grimaces that graced their faces. Thorin was evidently not happy about this suggestion, but instead of voicing it out, he gave Gandalf a hard look and waited for him tell them it was just a joke.

One dwarf, on the other hand, looked around his company in shock. He admitted he was not that fond of elves, but only because of the tales he grew up to. He had been taught that they were selfish and he couldn't trust them, but upon looking at this elf's hurt and frightened eyes, he didn't have it in his heart to hate her.

_Maybe it's because she's a woman. Yes, definitely, that is why_, he concluded, but he knew deep down that was not the reason.

"_Silence_!" Thorin suddenly bellowed. The endless complaints and Khuzdul phrases died down immediately, and all dwarves waited for their leader to speak.

"Do you really expect us to let an elf join this company?" Thorin asked with utter disbelief.

"She is not joining the company, Thorin Oakenshieled. We are just merely escorting her to Rivendell, considering the fact that she is not an experienced traveler," Gandalf reasoned, and before Thorin could protest yet again, Gandalf added, "and the fact that she is a helpless young woman."

Thorin's eyes immediately darted to the elf and studied her appearance. She still looked like any other elf in Middle-Earth: flawless. However, he could see the countless cuts and scrapes that appeared on her skin, and not to mention her blood soaked clothing. The dark rings around her bloodshot eyes indicated she had not properly slept in days, and her sharp features showed how hungry she must be.

Thorin hated elves, there was no denying that. He will never forget the day her kin betrayed them. He will never forget them leaving them alone to die at the hands of the beast that haunted his life even to this day. He will still remember, even after they reclaim Erebor, but he will also remember her tired face if he leaves her here alone to die.

His conscience will not rest, and that is why will regret what he is about to do.

"Fine, she may accompany us," Thorin said in defeat. "But we will not enter the halls of Rivendell. We will only get you there, and nothing else."

The company fell unusually silent. They tried to process what their king, Thorin Oakenshield, had said. He allowed an _elf_, into their company. They were finding it hard to accept this. For years, they have done nothing but loathe the elves' existence. They were thankful they could live in the Blue Mountains in peace without the elves to disturb them. Now that they are forced to accompany one was like a bad dream that wouldn't go away. Well, not a bad dream for one of them, at least.

Thorin took two steps closer to the elf and paced in front of her, detailing to her the conditions of this request. "You may sleep with us and you may dine with us, but do not think for one second we will offer you our respect. If respect is what you want, then you must earn it, but don't get your hopes up."

And with that, Thorin turned around and walked back to camp, stopping only to help Fili off the tree. The rest of the company gave one last lingering glare at the elf before they followed their leader and disappeared into the trees.

Kili wanted to stay behind and make sure she was okay, but his brother dragged him by his arm away from her.

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**Ta-da! I always feel like saying that after every update haha. But anyway, I'm sorry for the incredibly short chapters. The next one is actually short, but to make up for that, I'll post the next one after that, which way longer now haha! I'm sorry if it's moving rather slow, but I can't imagine the beginning in any other way, so I hope you're enjoying so far. :-)**

**Thank you also to those who've favorited and followed this story! :-) Some reviews would be really nice though because I really want to know your opinions about Miniel and her powers, which are described vaguely, but don't worry, that will be cleared up...soon-ish. Thanks for reading! :-)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello my wonderful readers! (And I really hope I have a lot of you haha). Here is the next chapter of Touch Me Not. I was originally supposed to post this right after I finished a chapter, but i started getting lazy with it and got excited for this one. Anyway, enjoy!**

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Miniel watched as all of them turned their back on her. She wasn't going to lie; she was surprised by the dwarves' hostility. She thought maybe it was because she threatened one of them and almost killed another one, but her stunt today with the sword could've been enough to prove she wasn't a threat. She allowed her ego to inflate when she thought the dwarves did not scare her one bit. She could have taken them all, even without her bow.

But they were not a threat, that much she knew. She was not going to take their lives just because they were unkind to her.

As they disappeared into the trees, she caught one of them looking back at her, the one who saved her earlier. The warmth in his eyes eased her nerves a little bit. _At least one of them doesn't despise me_, she thought. Once his warm brown eyes disappeared along with the rest of him, she was drained of all the heat in her body, and she finally felt the exhaustion of today.

But it wasn't just the exhaustion. She felt like all the life inside of her was drained out of her body, and she wasn't sure why. It was only when she touched her arm when she realized her shirt was soaked in blood. She lifted her arm and remembered the orc dragging its knife across her skin, and she shuddered, not just because of the memory, but also because of the cold that enveloped her body.

"Oh my, we must have that treated right away. Hurry." Gandalf gently pushed her towards the direction of the dwarves, but she stopped her feet with the remaining energy she had.

"Gandalf, wait. I have questions that need answering," Miniel said. She turned to Gandalf and saw the grim expression on his face.

"These answers may wait. We need to have your wounds cleaned and treated."

Gandalf walked passed her this time, expecting her to follow behind him. She stayed back for a while, letting this whole night sink in. It caused her head to spin, so she started walking, knowing fully well she will faint if she didn't. Before following completely, she gathered up her weapons and put them back in their sheathes and her belt. She took her bow in her hands, running them over it with a sharp pain in her chest. She didn't care if it was of no use to her now. She took them anyway and followed Gandalf to the dwarves

Once the campsite came into view, she saw the dwarves sleeping on their bedrolls. They did not look asleep though. The hard looks on their faces indicated that they still weren't happy about the new addition to the company. Miniel shook her head. _You are not a part of the company,_ she reminded herself

Only three of them were up by the fire, and she assumed it was their turn to keep watch. As she moved forward to the company, Gandalf placed a hand on her should to stop her.

"Miniel, you must not tell them who you are. They know where you come from, but they do not know you are his daughter and what you are capable of doing," Gandalf warned.

Miniel couldn't understand at first, but managed to put two and two together. "But why?"

"They are not particularly fond of elves, my dear, especially your kind. It is best to get on their good side until you reach Rivendell."

Miniel wanted to ask more questions, but she knew Gandalf wouldn't answer them. Not now at least. She walked along side Gandalf as they approached the company.

"Here, take a seat." Gandalf pushed her down on a rather large rock and lifted her wounded arm for closer inspection. As she landed on the rock, she set her bow and arrows down so Gandalf could get a better look at it. "Oin is the healer of the company, but I don't think he'd be happy to help you right now."

Instead of taking it as a bad thing, Miniel smiled faintly. She wasn't happy about anyone touching her anyway. After this crazy night, she had completely forgotten why she was here in the first place. She still wasn't ecstatic about leaving for Valinor, yet it has given her the opportunity to meet Gandalf, and they both knew it's about time her questions get answers.

"I can help her."

Both Gandalf and Miniel snapped their attention towards the campfire. Kili was on his feet, ready to approach them until Fili grabbed his leg.

"What are you doing? You can't help that…that wench," he whispered to him, but it really was useless. Miniel could still hear him, and it was amusing to watch him think he was being very discreet and subtle.

"I don't know if you know this, but I can still hear you from here," Miniel piped up.

The blond dwarf immediately blushed at her words. It completely slipped his mind that elves had heightened senses, and he wanted to sink into the ground right then and there. He did not mean to say nasty things about her, but he couldn't help himself.

"Excuse my brother. I don't know where his manners have gone," the dark-haired dwarf smiled apologetically. Fili glared at his brother, but he could not deny he was right, so he turned back to his pipe and continued on with his duty.

Miniel grinned and shook her head. "It's fine. I did throw a knife at him."

"Well, he definitely deserves that knife now," Kili joked, earning him a smack from his brother.

Miniel giggled, turning back to Gandalf. Her smile quickly faded when she saw Gandalf slowly removing her gloves.

"No, don't!" She pushed Gandalf's hands away and hugged her arm to herself.

"Do not panic. I will not touch your hand," Gandalf assured her, but it wasn't enough to convince her. She didn't want to risk it. She had an idea of what Gandalf will do to heal her, and although she wanted this pain to go away, it was still not worth feeling the pain of seeing Gandalf's future.

"Gandalf, no. I'm not risking anything," she said sternly.

She was positive there was nothing Gandalf could do to change her mind. She promised herself she would never remove her gloves near anyone ever. The last time that happened, she caught a glimpse of one of her dearest friend's future, and she wasn't all that thrilled about the way it ended. What's worse is she had no way to change her friend's fate. She wanted to believe everyone will live a long and rewarding life, even Gandalf, and that is why she refused to touch anyone, not even on request.

"Alright then," Gandalf nodded, scurrying away to get her something to clean her wound.

Once he left, Miniel sighed. She did not like being hostile towards others, but she wasn't fond of people talking about her gloves. She wore them everyday, no matter what weather, what season or occasion. She absolutely had to leave them on at all times when she was surrounded by other beings.

"Can I help?"

She was surprised to see the dwarf kneeling down beside her. He genuinely looked worried, but she wasn't going to trust him with her arm completely. Not even if the concerned look in his eyes caused her worries to melt away.

"No, it's fine. I can handle this myself," Miniel insisted, getting off the rock and looking for another empty, isolated area.

Kili narrowed her eyes at her, confused. _She is bleeding badly and she refuses to seek help, even from Gandalf? How mad is this woman?_ He followed her to her new spot, but consciously kept his distance. His uncle may think she doesn't deserve the company's respect, but he was not going to deny her of this just because his uncle said so, even if she did threaten him with a knife.

He watched her slowly study her now dried up sleeve, and he noticed her wince as she pulled off her glove too fast. She bit her other arm, forcing her screams back down her throat at the searing pain of her sudden movement took over her entire body.

He sucked in a deep breath at her pained expression. He wanted to help her, teach her the right way to care for herself, but he felt like he had to respect her wishes.

Now, she slowly rolled up her sleeve, revealing her bloodied forearm with a rather long cut down in the middle.

This sight appalled Kili. "Are you sure you don't want any help?"

Miniel looked up, her pain momentarily leaving her body. His eyes were filled with so much concern and she had to admit, she did want his help. She wanted him to be the one to clean of her wound and patch it up, because she knew her trembling hands would do a terrible job at it. When she saw the worry in his eyes, she could feel his gentle, careful hands on her, but she was afraid of history repeating itself. She did not want that to happen, not with this dwarf.

"Yes, I'm sure—"

"Oh my, it's much worse than I thought," Gandalf gasped, interrupting their little moment. "Are you sure you don't want me to heal you?"

"Gandalf, don't worry. I have been taught how to heal people. I just need to…relax first, so please just leave me be for a while."

For a moment, Gandalf had forgotten who she was, and it made him feel silly. She may not be your conventional elf, but she was still raised like one. She was the daughter of the Elevenking Thranduil. He would not allow his daughter to be uneducated in the art of healing. He would not allow her to be unskilled in battle, considering the threat that is looming over her.

"Very well. I will get you the things you need."

Miniel thanked Gandalf with a nod, and headed for their supplies, with Kili forced to come with him. Once he arrived back with all the necessary equipment she needed, Gandalf walked back to his previous spot in the company. Miniel noticed he had slipped in an apple along with the medical supplies, and she grinned at Gandalf's thoughtfulness. She unfolded a clean cloth and set it down on the ground to place the apple, then started to inspect her injuries.

As Kili walked back to his post, he kept glancing over at the elf, and he realized he did not even know her name. None of them did. Except Gandalf, maybe, but he doesn't know for sure. He hasn't heard him say her name. Once he sat down beside his brother, he had his eyes trained on the fire flickering before him.

"Please do not tell me you are in love with this elf," Fili joked, but he still wanted to be sure. Yes, they just met, but they don't even know each other really. And once more, she is an elf. Even if she does get on his good side and win him over, their mother and uncle would still be pretty hard to convince.

This definitely caught Kili's attention, and he turned to his brother with a bewildered look. "Of course not. I'm just being polite to a woman. You should try it some time."

Fili smirked at his brother. The blush on Kili's face would usually send him into a fit of laughter, but considering the circumstances, he was just hoping it's because Kili's not ready for things like love, not because he's in denial.


	7. Chapter 7

Half an hour had passed and Miniel had finally bandaged her forearm. She cut the part of her sleeve that was dried with blood and tossed it into her pile of dirty washcloths. She didn't know when she'd be able to wash the blood off her clothes, but she wasn't willing to wait. She also cut up her glove so only her hands were covered. It felt strange to her, having short gloves, but it will have to do for now. Once all her wounds were treated and she was well fed, she stood up and surveyed the company.

All of them were sleeping now, and she only figured that out because all of them were snoring. Gandalf was off to the side, smoking his pipe while looking into the distance. A dwarf was beside him. He was old—definitely the oldest—and had white hair. His long, white beard reached his chest and curled at the end, and his weary eyes were half open.

However, when he caught her gaze, she let out an inaudible gasp and turned red. She expected him to glare at her and stick his nose in the air, but instead, he gave her a small smile and nodded.

It took her awhile to digest what just happened, but she reciprocated his actions. Her attention then turned towards the little creature that looked nothing like them. He was tossing and turning on his bedroll, fidgeting restlessly as he tried to get some shut eye.

She studied him for a bit, taking in his features. He had no beard, but his feet had a lot of hair, and were ginormous, too. She hadn't met anyone with ridiculously large feet, but the sight of them amused her. He also dressed differently—impeccably actually. He looked like a gentleman coming from a nice dinner party, but was ransacked by thieves on the way home. He had no shoes, though, but he had large feet, so she thought it was impossible for him to find any that fit him.

When she noticed his curly hair, it dawned on her what he was. He was a hobbit. She hadn't seen a real one before, but she had seen pictures in her books. She also remembered hobbits to be very reserved and quiet people, which was why she her head cocked to the side in curiosity. Why would a hobbit go on a journey with a bunch of dwarves and a wizard? And judging by this choice of outfit, she assumed he had left a nice, beautifully furnished hobbit hole for this quest. If she were him, she would never do that in a million years. Well, if she had the choice anyway.

He finally stayed still for a while, so Miniel assumed he finally found his moment's peace. Her eyes then wandered to the Thorin, the only other person in the company she knew the name of. He was sleeping, leaning against a boulder. She could sense he wasn't in deep sleep. His shoulders were tense and his facial muscles looked hard, like he carried a burden so heavy it plagued him since he could remember. She studied him the way she did with the hobbit, but more intently this time.

She couldn't really think of any reason why dwarves would hate elves, most especially her kind. Miniel firmly believed everything happens for a reason, so she was certain it was something the elves did. Specifically, something her father did. Why would Gandalf warn her about mentioning her own lineage if it wasn't going to turn this man into a homicidal lunatic?

For whatever reason it is, may it be good or bad, she was angry with her father again. It's like everything that happens to her is because of him. Everything always has a link to him, direct or not. She loved her father so much, but at this moment, all she could feel for him is pure hatred. She was tired of being linked to him. It was hard for her to be her own person, even when he's not with her now. Her words and actions are still being dictated by him no matter where she goes.

Her train of thought was suddenly broken when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Hey, um, I'm not sure what to call you, but would you like to sit with us?"

She turned to the brothers, eyes wide. She wasn't expecting that invitation from them. The dark-haired one, maybe, but the blond one? Not in a million years. But he looked up at her hopefully, his pipe still in mouth as he waited for her answer.

"My presence is not going to bother you?" she asked the blond dwarf. She meant it as a joke, but she still wanted to know if this dwarf thought ill of her. She only had one—maybe two—allies right now. She's going to need more than two if she wants to make it to Rivendell.

Fili took his pipe out of his mouth and pretended to look thoughtful, stroking the braids of his beard. "Hmm, I don't know. We'll see how it goes."

The grin that appeared behind his beard was enough for Miniel to relax. She walked over to them and sat beside Kili. She noticed his own pipe in his hands, but the whole time she had been there, she didn't notice him smoke it.

"I'm Miniel, by the way, if you still want to call me something," she said, shrugging her shoulders as the brothers looked at her.

"Miniel…," Kili said slowly. He tried to stop himself from smiling at her name. He always wondered why elves had just pretty names, but for him, Miniel was too long. "Hmm…I think I'm going to call you Min."

"Min?" Miniel furrowed her eyebrows. No one had ever given her a nickname, not even Legolas. This sudden realization made her a bit sad. She never realized how formal and royal her life had been since someone had given her a nickname.

Fili noticed the frown that started to form on her face. "He doesn't have to call you that if it makes you upset."

"No, no. It's not that. It's just… No one's ever given me a nickname before," she admitted, hugging her knees.

"_No one_?" Kili asked in shock. She was surprised by Kili's alarmed expression. _Did everyone else have nicknames?_ she thought sadly. She shook her head and rested her chin on her knees, waiting for them to say something else.

"Well, be happy, because now you have one, Min," Fili smiled at her. His smile was contagious. First, it hit Miniel—or Min, if you will. The corners of her mouth turned up slowly, revealing her perfect white teeth. Next was Kili, but it wasn't because of his brother's smile. Definitely not because of his brother's smile.

"Oh, and my apologies. I'm Fili, and this here is Kili," he said casually, like he hadn't just insulted her earlier.

His insult from earlier did not hurt her, but she was still curious. Why was he nice to her now? She basically threw a knife at her and, to be honest, didn't know where it would hit. She gave him permission to hate her, but why wasn't he?

"Why are you being so nice?" she blurted, her eyes going wide when she realizes how rude that must sound.

Fili chuckled. "Because as much as I hate you for almost killing me, you were only defending yourself and you have respectable throwing skills."

She smiled, but felt guilty. Maybe admitting that she didn't know where she was throwing was a bad idea right now. She opted to leave that out, but she was still curious. She was an elf, a Woodland elf mind you, so wasn't he supposed to hate her?

"But I'm an elf. Aren't you supposed to hate me?"

"I'm not my uncle, but to please him, I will only give you my respect, not my trust. Not yet, at least," he shrugged, returning the pipe into his mouth and puffing smoke into the air.

She was pleased with the last part. They barely knew each other. She wasn't ready to put her trust in them either. But she had another question, only because he mentioned it.

"Why doesn't your uncle trust me?"

Fili and Kili looked at each other, silently debating on who's going to tell her. They were actually surprised she didn't know, but then again, she looked really young, and, judging by her lack of knowledge of directions, really sheltered.

Kili then nodded and turned to Min. "Do you have any idea what Erebor is?"

Min narrowed her eyes. She wasn't sure, but she had an inkling of what it was. "That's a mountain right?"

"Yes," Kili smiled. "Our ancestors used to live there."

Min raised an eyebrow. "Used to? What happened?"

"It was attacked by a dragon," Kili answered. Fili let out a chuckle as he listened to his brother tell the story.

"Bofur should be the one telling the story," he said to Kili. His brother nodded in agreement. Bofur could always make a boring story into a good one. Not that this one was boring, but it would sound more menacing if Bofure recounted the tale.

"Who's Bofur?" Min asked. By this point, she didn't like asking questions. She felt clueless, and since she was always teased back home for being naïve because she was the youngest, she wasn't particularly fond of this moment.

"He's the dwarf with the funny looking hat," Kili answered with a cheeky smile. Min didn't know why, but the sight of Kili made her smile. He didn't look like the rest of the dwarves. In fact, he even looked like a really, really short human.

"Alright, maybe I'll ask him about it tomorrow," she said, but then realized her current situation with the dwarves. "Well, when he warms up to me, I'll ask him."

"Oh, don't worry. Make him laugh, you'll win him over," Fili assured her.

This put Min's mind at ease. She didn't know if she was funny, but she could always make the other elves back home laugh. It was something they loved her for, especially when she and his brother were side by side.

"Alright, now that you've asked us questions, it's our turn," Kili said giddily, and he wasted no time to pry her about her life. "Why are you going to Rivendell?"

Min thought about this carefully. She can't just tell them about her powers, and the dark forces searching for her. She definitely cannot say her father ordered her to visit Rivendell. Back home, she could never lie to her father because he would always know, so she never got to practice her lying abilities.

"I'm, uh, I'm…visiting a friend," she said. Well, it was kind of true. She was going to visit Lord Elrond. It just so happened that she never really got the chance to do that before.

"If you're visiting a friend, how come you don't know where Rivendell is?" It was Fili's turn to raise his eyebrow at her.

She shrugged. "I've never really had the chance to leave my home so even if I can read a map, it would still take a while for me to find it. But since I don't have one, well, I'm probably never going to. Have any of you been to Rivendell?"

Fili and Kili looked at each other again. They knew where it was, but since they had no reason to actually go there, they can't say they have. Both of them shook their heads and waited for her reply.

"Oh," was all Min could say. It was kind of a silly thing to ask, though. She knew they didn't like elves. Why would they go to Rivendell then? Her face was slowly turning pink when she realized they might think she's stupid. Kili sensed the discomfort on her face and decided to change the topic.

"Why were you being attacked by orcs?"

Again, Min had to think about her answer. She cannot tell them about her own company. No matter what angle she'd go through, they could link it to her lineage, if they were smart enough to realize it. She didn't think these dwarves would figure it out, to be honest, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"I guess they just found me here and wanted to kill," she shrugged. It was a vague answer, but it would have to do for now.

"Huh," Kili said thoughtfully. "But what are they doing in these parts?"

Min shrugged again. She couldn't reveal anything about herself, and she hated lying to them. They saved her life from these monsters. They at least deserved the truth.

Luckily for Min, before they could wonder about it even further, they saw the hobbit getting up from his bedroll in frustration. Apparently, he wasn't getting any sleep at all, what with all these snoring dwarves. Min watched him walking toward one of the ponies, and, pulling an apple from out of his pocket, feeding it. He stroked its head and whispered into its ear.

"How are you, girl? That's a good girl. It's our little secret, Myrtle; you must tell no one."

Min giggled at the hobbit. _Such a gentle soul_, she thought. She wanted to introduce herself to him. He wasn't a dwarf, so maybe she could have four allies now. She was about to get up off her seat, until she heard that familiar shriek again.

All the blood drained from her face and she pushed herself up towards the rock.

The hobbit turned to them with a curious face, but frightened eyes. "What was that?"

"Orcs."

Her head whipped to the dwarf beside her. With her back pressed against the rock, she couldn't see his face, yet that single world rung in her head.

"Orcs?" the hobbit repeated in disbelief.

"Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them," Fili then piped up. She saw the calm expression on his face, and she couldn't fathom how calm they could be at this moment.

"They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood," Kili added, his last words barely a whisper.

The hobbit looked away in fear, his head going in different directions.

She was feeling the same fear the little creature was feeling, that is until the two dwarves beside her started laughing. She couldn't hide the anger in her eyes. _How could you joke about that, _she wanted to yell. She could feel her fear being mocked by these immature dwarves, and she couldn't just sit there and let them get away with it.

"That wasn't funny. At all," she snarled quietly. She wanted to look at them directly and show them how insensitive they were. Instead, she looked down on her injured arm, running a gentle finger over it.

Fili and Kili turned to Min, but they didn't see her behind Kili. Instead, she was huddled up against the rock behind them, and it was obvious to them that it was out of fear and trauma.

"It was just a joke," Kili reasoned, but even he knew it was the stupidest thing to say.

Min couldn't hide the anger and hurt in her eyes. Kili knew what had happened to her. She knew he saw the way the orcs tortured her. She couldn't believe he had the audacity to joke about it in front of her. At all, actually.

They were suddenly startled when he heard a deep, disappointed voice come up from their left.

"You think that's funny?" Kili swallowed quietly as their uncle strode past them with his arms behind his back and his eyes looking into the distance. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

"I didn't mean anything by it," he said lamely, his head hung low as he tried to hide his face in shame.

It was like nothing he said could make things better, and there wasn't really. Min tried to hold back tears as she recounted the past week. All she did was run away from these creatures that killed her kin and hunted her down. Once she was allowed into the company, she thought she'd be safe, but now that they were blatantly joking about it, she didn't know what to think about them.

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world," Thorin said sharply, walking away from his nephew in anger and disappointment.

"Don't mind him, laddie." All three of them turned to the source of the voice, and saw the oldest dwarf with reassurance in his eyes. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs."

He then recounted the battle that earned their leader the rightful title of king. Min caught onto every word he said, her eyebrows furrowing as the story kept turning darker. When he mentioned the pale orc, her breath caught in her throat. She tried to forget about her recent encounter with him to focus on the story, but the image of him was still so vivid in her mind. The image of him came to her at a force so strong, it's like she could feel him lurking in the forest.

She was so deeply frightened by the images her mind was feeding her that she didn't even realize she had gripped onto Kili's arm tightly. When she felt his rough hand on her gloved one, she managed to block the images away and turn to him with the same frightened eyes she had when she saw the pale orc slaughtering her company.

Kili looked at her worriedly, but she pulled away quickly, scooting a little farther from Kili so it wouldn't happen again. She shook her head to assure him she was alright, and turned to the elderly dwarf to listen to his tale.

"Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken."

Min shivered at the name. If she had two choose which one scared her less, 'pale orc' sounded less menacing. When the elderly dwarf told of Thorin's brave, heroic deed, her eyes instantly darted to him. She could see his silhouette in the distance, his shoulders heavy with grief. Thorin carried with him a burden that will latch onto him until the end of time, and she couldn't help but feel badly for him. She still didn't understand why he did not trust elves, but she could still understand why he wouldn't trust anyone.

"And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King," the elderly dwarf smiled. Min was able to snap out of her thoughts to hear this, and it put a smile on her face. He did not know Thorin, not personally, not even after she heard the story, but she couldn't help but feel an overwhelmingly huge amount of respect for him.

When Thorin turned around to face them, it was only then did she realize everyone was awake and stood up out of respect and honor for their king.

"But the pale orc? What happened to him?" the hobbit asked.

Thorin's face grimaced under the light of the fire. She didn't realize he had walked towards it and everyone else was going back to bed.

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago," Thorin spat, his words laced with so much hatred and disgust.

When the sudden realization that what he said wasn't true at all, she froze. She didn't know if she should say something about it. But if she did, they would find out about her company and why she was really going to Rivendell. Most importantly, they would find out who she really was, and remembering Gandalf's warning, she didn't want to get kicked out just before they could even travel onwards.

She turned to Gandalf to see if he would say something, but judging by the looks he exchanged with the elderly dwarf, it was certain they knew Azog was also alive. The fact that they didn't say anything was enough to validate the notion that she shouldn't say anything about the pale orc.

When a yawn managed to escape her lips, she finally felt the exhaustion this day brought. She didn't know how she managed to survive, but she was just happy she wasn't at the hands of the orcs.

She scooted forward so her body had some room to lie down, but as she turned to the dwarves in their bedrolls, she realized she didn't have one. In fact, she didn't have anything. Just her weapons. It didn't matter to her that she had to sleep on the ground itself, but a pillow couldn't hurt.

She was a little shy to ask a blanket from Fili and Kili, so instead, she decided to make a makeshift pillow from her shirt. That would leave her only her in tunic, but she was willing to risk exposure for one night of a little comfort.

She unbuckled her belt and took off all of her weapons. She placed them on one side beside her and was starting to unbutton her shirt when she saw a blanket held out to her.

She looked up to see Kili smiling down at her. "I don't know if you sleep naked, but if that's what you want, you should at least cover yourself."

Her face turned bright red at Kili's remark. She took the blanket thankfully and tried her best not to stammer. "No, no, I don't, uh, I don't sleep naked. I was just…"

She was finding it hard to explain her case, especially with these two dwarven men smirking at her discomfort.

"Never mind," she opted instead. "Thank you for the blanket."

Kili's smirk turned into a genuine smile, and that helped ease her nerves a bit. "No problem."

She shot both brothers a toothless smile before she turned the blanket into a bedroll and lying down on it. She tried her best not to laugh when she felt her feet resting on the ground even if she bended her knees.

As she closed her eyes and let sleep finally engulf her, the low, mellow voices of her two allies helped speed up the process, and in no time, she let herself slip away into the world of her dreams.

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**Ta-da! (I may say this after every chapter now, I apologize) Here is the last chapter I will post for now. I have nine more, but since I keep posting two at once, I don't want to run out haha. This is the last update where I'll post two chapters, so I'm sorry to all of my current followers who will be expecting two next time. All the next ones are adequately long now, so I hope you will still be satisfied. Thank you to all of the new readers who have favorite and followed this story! But please I'm begging for your reviews, I really want your opinion of this because I'm starting to get confused with some parts and I don't know if I should delete it all and start from scratch. Anywho, next chapter will now be the blossoming moment for Kili and Miniel, so I hope you stick around for it! Thank you for reading! :-)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! Sorry it took me a while but I was getting very unmotivated. Writing has becoming very frustrating lately. Anyway, I have a surprise for you guys, but they're both good and bad. As you can see, the good one is I posted all the chapters I have written already, haha. The bad, well, I'll explain at the last chapter. I think you could figure out what the bad news is, but don't let that stop you from enjoying the story haha. Also, I'd like to thank Nanicane for reviewing the story! Finally, you have no idea how excited I was to read it. I really liked your thoughts on Min, and the whole mary sue thing, that will be explained at the last chapter. Anyway, thanks for the review! Anyway, here's chapter 8. Enjoy!**

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_She was screaming, but no sound came out. Her jaw was getting tired and her head had started to throb, but she couldn't shut her mouth. She kept screaming noiselessly, as she watched the scene before her. _

_In front of her was her company, each one of them tied to a wooden pole. They were all unconscious and bloody, and Miniel desperately wanted to free them so they could run back home where it is safe. Instead, she struggled for her own freedom, her hands and feet tied similarly to the elves in front of her. _

_She couldn't understand what was happening. They were at the same pathway where the orcs ambushed them, but there were no signs of them. It was just them, all tied onto sticks. When she had finally stopped screaming after a few minutes, her eyes closed shut from exhaustion. She didn't know what made her tired, but her thoughts were in a frenzy today. _

_She thought about her father, about how he didn't love her as much as he led her believe. She thought about her older brother, and how he only regarded her as a sister and not as a best friend. She thought about all the lives and deaths she had seen with her powers—no, no. They weren't powers. It wasn't a gift she was blessed with. It was a curse. She managed to hurt those around her without even doing much. All it took was for her to be her, and she hated it. She hated being herself. Nothing good ever came out of being herself. She felt the tears stinging her eyes as she let herself be weighed down by the burdens on her shoulder. _

_In the distance, he could hear screaming and howling, but it wasn't any ordinary scream or howl. She recognized them. Her whole body recognized them and trembled with fear. She let sobs escape her lips and tears fall down her cheeks as the sounds grew closer and closer. _

_Once she saw the orcs in her peripheral vision, she couldn't struggle. She wanted to struggle out of this stick and kill every single one of them. But she couldn't move. Her mind was willing her whole body to move, but they wouldn't. She felt helpless as her own body betrayed her. She stayed still, her head hanging low as the orcs arrived. _

_Their cries pierced her ears, and she would've given anything to drown out the sound of it. She could see them below her. They were yelling at her and laughing at her. They poked her with their sticks and knives, and she couldn't save herself even she tried. _

_She let the orcs taunt and mock her, but all went silent when he heard the loud roar of a warg, and she knew. She _knew_ exactly who it was. She didn't want to look, but she couldn't stop staring at the pale orc smirking at her. Her eyes watched him intently as his warg walked him back and forth along the line of elves. He eyed each one of them, only turning to her once he reached the end of the line. _

_After the fourth time, he stopped completely, which caused a little bit of relief to wash over her. The relief was short-lived, however, when she watched him go across the line again, but this time with a bucket filled with a thick, black liquid. He poured it all over the elves, and all Miniel could do was breathe heavily. She had an inkling of what he planned to do, but she didn't want it to be true. Please, no, she hoped it wasn't right. _

_When he reached the end of the line, he threw the bucket to the side and another orc handed him a torch. _

_Her heart fell right to the pit of her stomach and shattered into a million pieces. She shook her head violently, desperately. _

"_No," she said, but not sound came out. "No, no, no, no, no—"_

_The pale orc gave her one last smile before he threw the torch to the row of elves that burst into flames._

"_NO!_"

"Min, wake up!"

Min shot up, her face sweaty and eyes bloodshot. Her chest heaved up and down rapidly, and she was unable to steady the breaths that loudly escaped her lips. She blinked rapidly as sunlight momentarily blinded her, but once her vision was back, she looked around her surroundings.

All around her were stocky-looking short men with their eyes focused on her. She was relieved she had escaped the realm of her dreams, but she didn't know what she felt about 10 pairs of eyes on her. They had formed a circle around her, and noticing none of them were going to budge, she sat up straighter and hugged her legs to her chest.

"Are you okay?"

The sound of Kili's voice startled her, and all she could do was look at him like he had three heads. She felt so disoriented; she couldn't even utter a word. She was confused. She couldn't figure out where she was, or if this was reality at all. She wanted to stand up and stretch and recall last night's events but she stayed frozen on her spot.

"Now, don't crowd her," Gandalf scolded, breaking the circle and forcing all the dwarves to step away. They all took a few steps backward, but they still kept their eyes on her. Now that it was daytime and they were fully rested, it dawned on them that she was an actual _elf_. She had pointy ears and tall limbs and pasty white skin. Last night, they dreaded having her in the company, even if she wasn't technically a part of it, but now? They couldn't overcome the curiosity that sparked every time she made a move.

"Is she crazy?" Gloin whispered to no one in particular, but the other dwarves beside him shrugged their shoulders and waited for her to do something.

"No, master dwarf, she is just tired," Gandalf answered out loud. He walked over to her and gently helped her to her feet. She held on to Gandalf for dear life and wouldn't let go even if her legs were steady enough to carry her. "It is okay, my dear. It was just a nightmare."

With that one sentence, Min had snapped out of her confused and disoriented trance and turned to Gandalf with an incredulous look. The events of these past two weeks came flooding back into her memory and she felt burdened and fatigued. For someone who has never journeyed outside her home, she was instantly thrown into the most terrifying situation anyone could ever think of. Just imagine being thrown alone into this world with no experience and sufficient knowledge whatsoever and having nothing to guide you.

She was ready to blow Gandalf's ear off with a bunch of elvish curses, but his calm and gentle demeanor managed to calm her down. Just by one soft smile, she is suddenly reminded of the fact that she is safe now, and she could continue onto to her destination without any more interruptions.

She took a deep breath and finally let go of Gandalf. Unfortunately, she didn't know what to do after that. They were all waiting for her to do something, yet she felt that whatever she does, they would all turn their backs on her. She looked to Gandalf for the answer, but was surprised he had already walked off to Valar knows where.

_Great. What now?_

Just when she was about to embarrassingly collapse on her butt out of sheer panic, a familiar dwarf had stepped forward and stood beside her.

"Everyone, this is Miniel, but we'll call her Min from now on," Kili announced, his smile never faltering. "Min, this is everyone."

All the dwarves had walked closer to her now and studied her features. Some of them had seen elves before, but for the others, this was their first time. They all started at her in awe. Even for an exhausted, injured elf, she did not look like it all. Her hair never seemed to be out of place and her eyes successfully hid her fatigue. Her creamy white skin glowed in the light of the sun and made her seem like she was from another world.

Everyone was so transfixed on her appearance that they had completely forgotten to introduce _themselves_. Being one of the few who was not mesmerized by her presence, Balin pushed himself through the crowd and introduced himself first.

"It is nice to meet you, my lady. Balin, at your service," he greeted before taking a bow.

This brought a smile to Min's face, something she had missed doing since she was plagued with the thought of orcs. "Miniel, at yours. But you don't have to call me 'my lady'. Min is fine."

Balin nodded and turned to the rest of the company. "This is Oin and Gloin. That's Ori, Nori and Dori."

He paused for a moment once he saw her still trying to catch up with his introductions. He had made sure to point each one of them out, but he wouldn't blame her if she didn't get them right off the bat. After a few minutes of silence, Bofur intervened and introduced himself.

"I'm Bofur, at yer service," he smiled while taking a bow. For a second, Min had remembered the conversation she had with Fili and Kili last night, and made a mental note to ask Bofur about Erebor some time this day. "This is my brother Bombur and our cousin Bifur. And I'm guessing you know Fili and Kili."

She didn't expect each one of them to smile at her as they were introduced, but relief had washed over her when she realized they did not hate her guts. They didn't trust her, yes, but that was fine with her, as long as they didn't have the urge to push her off the nearest cliff. She had to admit, it was a struggle to keep up with their names, especially since they didn't exactly resemble each other. She had forgotten half of it, actually, but she just hoped they wouldn't quiz her on it.

"It's nice to meet you all," Min grinned. "Thank you for letting me travel with you."

"It's no problem, lass. But we better get moving though if want to get this show on the road," Balin said, ushering the other dwarves back to their duties. Before he could go back to discussing the route with Thorin, he felt a shy hand on his shoulder and knew it belonged to their elven companion. "What is it, lass?"

Min relaxed at his friendly expression and it gave her the courage to speak more confidently. "Who's that dwarf over there?"

Balin followed the direction of her finger and his eyes landed on Thorin and his brother having a heated discussion with both of them looking intensely at the map. He chuckled under his breath and turned to Min again.

"That is Dwalin, my brother. And as you already know, the one beside him is Thorin, the leader of the company," he answered.

"If you don't mind me asking, where is your company going?"

Balin contemplated his answer on this one. He may have warmed up to this elf, but he wasn't going to just divulge any information about their quest. If she had earned their trust completely, maybe he will, but he doesn't see that happening in the near future.

"I'm sorry, my friend, but that is classified information." He added a slightly upbeat tone to it so as to not offend her, and judging by her nod, it worked. He offered her one last smile before walking off and breaking the fight between his brother and his king.

Min happily watched Balin walk away, amused by how small he was. In fact, she the sight of each one of them amused her to no end. It was like watching little burly children doing chores. When saw Ori walk past her with his head hanging shyly, she just wanted to pinch his cheeks so badly, but she knew this wasn't going to impress the company, especially not Thorin Oakenshield.

Realizing she was being a rude guest and not helping the company with the remaining duties, she snapped out of her thoughts and looked for something to do. As she bent down to pick up the blanket she used last night, she was met with rather large, hairy feet and knew immediately whom they belonged to. She got up and smiled down at the small hobbit staring up at her.

"Hello," he said, pausing for a moment to smile at her. "I don't think we've met. I'm Bilbo Baggins."

"Hello, Mr. Baggins. I'm Miniel, but you can just call me Min," she said, shaking Bilbo's hand.

"Oh, and please, just Bilbo. Mr. Baggins is my father," he insisted.

This certainly made her smile grow wider, if that's possible. "Alright, then, Bilbo. I guess I'll be seeing you around," she said, holding up her blanket to tell him they had work to do.

"Likewise," Bilbo replied, giving her a nod and walking off.

While the dwarves bustled around and got ready to continue on with their quest, all Min could do was fold up the blanket she used and collect her weapons. As she fastened her belt and slid the last throwing knife into her boot, she suddenly realized she was missing a weapon, and the most important one at that: her bow.

She swiftly walked to where she had cleaned her wounds last night. Her heart sank when she didn't see two pieces of wood attached to a string sitting anywhere. She looked around frantically, searching the ground for it. She wanted to ask the dwarves if they've seen it, but she only knew five of them, and most of them were busy.

A panic attack was slowly consuming her body as she stood still and took deep breaths. She couldn't believe it. She broke her bow and managed to lose it all on one night. She didn't know how she was going to handle this loss. Without the bow, she felt…incomplete. It's like her knives and sword wasn't enough for her. Her knees were going weak and she was ready to faint.

_No, please, no. Not in front of them_, she begged desperately, trying her best to buckle her knees.

Just when her legs were about to give out, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to come face-to-face with Kili, and instead of a worried expression, it was now one of curiosity. She noticed the hand behind his back, and when he pulled it out and revealed her bow and her quiver of arrows in his hand, she sighed with relief.

"I'm assuming these are yours," Kili said, handing it to her. "I saw them over there earlier when I woke up. I thought they were mine and someone broke it, but when I tried to piece the bow together, it looked a little bigger."

She took the bow from him and pressed it over her heart. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kili smiled, but it immediately fell when his eyes looked at the broken bow again. "I'm sorry about your bow."

"It's okay," Min interrupted, shaking her head. "It's not your fault. Thank you, for saving me, by the way."

Kili's cheeks turned slightly pink, and his cheeky grin was enough to show them off. "Anything for a lady."

Min grinned at his reply and let a giggle escape her lips. This caused Kili to smile even wilder. He had never heard of a much sweeter sound than the sound of her laugh, and after last night, he was determined to keep hearing that laugh until their time together ended.

Min took one last lingering look at Kili and turned her attention back to the bow and her arrows.

"You can have the arrows if you want. They're useless to me now," she said, eyeing the quiver in Kili's hand. "My brother gave me this bow when I first learned how to shoot. Such a shame it's broken."

Kili frowned. If he had one soft spot for anything, it would be for archers. Seeing as he was made fun of for choosing a bow over a sword or a hammer, he felt protective of his bow, and he couldn't fathom the pain Min was feeling right now. If it was his bow that was broken in half, he wouldn't know what to do.

"It looked like a good bow. We could bury it, maybe? That would be so much better than leaving in it out here in the woods."

Min smiled at that suggestion, but it didn't make her feel any better about her bow. She could still remember the first time she practiced with it, sending all the arrows flying in different directions, never once hitting the target. She remembered Legolas coming in right after and laughing hysterically. She laughed at the memory, but before it got even deeper, she took a deep breath and chose a spot to bury her bow.

She decided on the spot where she left it last night, and wasted no time to dig a hole. Once it was deep and wide enough, she brought the bow to her chest threw it in, quickly throwing the soil in so she wouldn't be tempted to dig it out again. Kili helped her fill in the hole, but his eyes never leaving her face.

He wanted to stop her and do the work for her so she wouldn't dirty her gloves, but he couldn't even stop his eyes from staring at her. He watched her face focus on the task at hand, and there was something about the way she moved that put him under a spell. He didn't know what took over him. The way she looked last night was so different from what she looked like now, and he wished the sun would never go down so she could look like this forever. The glow of her whole being had captured him, and he didn't quite know how to free himself from it.

"Kili?"

His eyes blinked once, twice—maybe five times, before he snapped himself out of that trance and realized the hole has been filled, but what he didn't expect to see was his hands right on top of Min's. The heat quickly rushed to his face and every part of it just turned red right down to his neck.

"Sorry," he blurted, pulling his hands back.

"It's okay—"

Without warning, Kili just stood up and proceeded to walk over to his pony. His head hung low and he never once looked back at her. Min could hear faint sounds coming from him, yet she could not understand what he was saying. She figured it was another language, and just shook her head at the bewildered dwarf.

She patted the soil once more and got up, turning on her heel and walking over to the other dwarves. All them were mounting their ponies when she approached them, and she could clearly see there were no more available ponies for her to ride. _Great. Does he really expect me to walk,_ Min growled inwardly. She didn't have the right to be mad; they didn't even expect her addition to the company. If she had to walk, then so be it.

Thorin wasn't going to lie. He actually forgot to clear out the other pony for her to ride. But since they were burning daylight, they didn't have much time to do that. Looking back at his, company, he picked the best candidate to take the job of letting her ride with him. He judged them based on the amount of things on his pony and how distracted he could get. His best bet was Dwalin. He wouldn't be happy about it, but they needed to get moving.

As if reading his mind, Dwalin approached his friend and leaned in closer so the elf wouldn't hear. "She's not riding with me."

"Dwalin, you're the only one I trust not to get distracted," Thorin reasoned.

Dwalin shook his head. Thorin was right, but he wasn't going to admit that. Next to Thorin, he hated elves with a burning passion. This one wasn't threatening at all, but he still didn't trust her.

"Let her ride with Fili. If you're worried about either of the boys getting distracted, remember, she is an elf. She will sense things before they even reach us."

Thorin weighed Dwalin's suggestion. It _would_ be helpful to have the elf in the back. Even without her there, Fili and Kili would still get distracted. If he had her there, at least one of them would be able to sense any danger lurking.

Thorin was considering this option, but after witnessing his nephew interact with the elf earlier, he was having second thoughts. He wasn't worried about the company's safety anymore, but rather the feelings of his nephews. The last thing he expected on this journey was for any of his members to fall in love, especially his nephews. Now that this opportunity has risen, he couldn't help but feel worried about Fili, or—Mahal forbid—Kili falling in love with her. He wouldn't be able to handle one of his them expressing his love for this elf. He might strangle her even if they ended up hating him.

But he couldn't let personal feelings affect the whole company. He'd risk his sanity as along as his company was safe, and so with that, he sighed deeply and turned his pony towards the elf.

"You," he called out. Min turned to him with her eyebrows still knit together in frustration. "Ride with my nephew."

She was afraid to ask which nephew, so she just nodded. She walked all the way to the back, struggling to pick which nephew would cause the least trouble.

"Fili," he hollered to the back. Fili's eyes met his uncle's, and he waited for whatever order he was about to give him. "She will ride with you. Help her up."

Fili nodded and dismounted his pony. Kili watched as his brother, the gentleman that he is, hoisted Min up on his pony, even if she didn't need the help. Kili ignored the warm feeling spreading in his gut. It wasn't the good kind of warm. It was like someone lit a campfire and was setting up camp in his stomach. He shook his as his brother mounted his pony again, Min sitting right behind him.

Min was a little hesitant to hold on to Fili. She didn't even know where to hold him. It felt weird putting her arms around him. If she did just that, she'd end up hugging his chest than his waist, and she suddenly wished she wasn't that tall anymore. She stuck out like a sore thumb among the dwarves. She could see each and every one of them from where she was riding. She could even spot Thorin up in front, which amused her because she never really realized how short he was under all the authority and hostility. Having been the short one in Mirkwood for all these years, it felt weird being the tall one this time.

"It's okay to hold on to me. I won't bite," Fili smirked, glancing sideways.

Min blushed at Fili's remark. "Sorry. I just…I don't know where to hold on to."

"Well, since you're a little taller than me, you could put them on my shoulders, but the waist is fine."

Min's blush turned darker with very sentence Fili spoke. He was blatantly flirting with her, but she knew it was only to mess with her. But still, it didn't stop her from getting all flustered. None of the elves back home ever tried to flirt with her, probably because they all feared her father and brother.

Min hesitated to place her hands on Fili's shoulder. It felt weird, even if her hands are just hovering over it. She felt like a mother ushering her child. She opted for the waist, but was having second thoughts. Her hands hovered over his waist as well. It was just difficult for her to hold him. She'd never held a man before, so this was completely new and uncomfortable for her.

Fili, sensing her hands roaming over his back, tried to hold back a chuckle. For an elf, she didn't seem like a wise one. He had this notion that all elves were wise and sure of themselves. But this one? He wasn't even sure if _she_ was sure she was an elf. After a few more minutes of waiting for her hands to touch him already, he sighed and let go of the reigns for a moment. He found her gloved hands right above his waist, and immediately pressed them onto it, finishing her deciding for her.

Min blushed again, but was a little thankful for what Fili did. "Sorry. I'll be a better riding partner next time."

Fili smiled at this. By Mahal, she's already the best one he's ever had.

Somewhere, off to the sidelines, Kili was watching them intently, but careful not to steer his pony in a different direction. The warm feeling was back, but this time, he couldn't ignore it. He didn't understand this feeling inside of him. He felt angry, and he was shocked by how genuine it was because he'd never been this angry at his brother before.


	9. Chapter 9

Miniel never really was fairly familiar with dwarves and their customs. For instance, she didn't know they didn't trust elves until last night. Again, she didn't know how rowdy they were until this morning, when all she could hear and see were dwarves struggling to hit each other while staying balanced on their ponies. She also didn't know they were very much into ale, which they complained the lack of it every five minutes.

But now that she is forced to travel with them, there was no denying the culture shock that was evident in her face.

She always had the tendency to compare and contrast these dwarves to elves from back home, and the great amount of differences between them actually made her like the dwarves more. For all her life, she was a very prim and proper lady, considering she was a princess. Being prim and proper may come naturally to her, but that doesn't mean she likes it. Because some of these dwarves didn't care about manners, she was relieved to know her slouching will not come with any scolding or disapproving looks.

As they continued on with the journey, she sat in silence with Fili, while all the other dwarves talked and laughed and joked all throughout. She was a little surprised Fili and Kili paid no heed to her for a little while. Maybe they noticed how tired she was even if they haven't done much—yesterday really did drain all the life out of her, and because her sleep was plagued with nightmares, she couldn't exactly say she was well rested. But once her eyelids started to droop, and she didn't care if she ended up laying her head on Fili's shoulder, she could sense two pairs of eyes on her.

"Just say what you want to say, please," she said groggily.

Kili was taken aback by the sudden annoyed tone in her voice. He couldn't imagine anything rude coming out of her mouth, but then again, he didn't know much about elves. All he knew was they couldn't be trusted. Well, that's what he's told at least.

Fili, on the other hand, was quite amused by her heightened senses. From that moment on, Fili made it his goal to test her heightened senses in a duel before they were to part ways. He knew he was no match for an elf, but his ego didn't seem to think that. Bilbo, however, was thoroughly amazed by this. He had read about elves in his books back home, but getting the chance to see them actually using their abilities was a whole different experience.

"We wanted to ask you some questions," Bilbo piped up sheepishly, "but we can clearly see you're tired so many some other time—"

"Oh, no, it's fine. I haven't had this much social interaction for a whole week," Min admitted, but made sure not to mention how this happened. "Fire away."

"Okay, if you say so," Bilbo said thoughtfully, racking his brain for a question to ask. "If you're from Mirkwood, like Thorin says you are…why are you here?"

Min inwardly sighed with relief. At lease she had tackled this question before. "I'm supposed to be visiting a friend, but I don't really know my way around. My father didn't really allow me to travel outside Mirkwood until now."

"I know you said you weren't good at reading maps, but how come you don't have one?" Kili asked, his eyes narrowing curiously. Last night, it never occurred to him that she didn't have a map, and for someone who's travelling that far, you'd be an idiot not to bring one.

"I, um," Min stuttered. Her answer was simple, but it made her look stupid. "I kind of lost it along the way, so I was hoping if I travelled on one path, I'd eventually find a way there."

Fili silently chuckled, but Min heard it anyway. "You're lucky you stumbled upon us then."

Min's eyes instantly fell on Kili. "Mhmm. Very lucky, indeed."

There was a faint smile on Kili's face as he locked eyes with Min. As he remembered the events of last night, he was thankful he had gotten to her before it was too late. He had just met this elf yet he couldn't handle the idea of her losing her life to those wretched orcs.

Noticing the small smile that had crept on his face, Min blushed, looking away and turning her attention back to the rest of the group. "So, what else do you want to know?"

"If you've never travelled until now, how old are you?" Fili asked, turning his head slightly towards her.

Min hesitated a good long while for this one. She wanted to lie her way through this one as well and say a younger age; at least that would explain her naivety a little bit. For an elf who had been alive for as long as 75 years, you'd think she'd have many experiences to add to her wisdom. Sad to say she wasn't blessed to be born a normal elf.

The silence that followed didn't go unnoticed by the three males. They all raised a confused eyebrow at her as they waited for her answer. Min looked at the three of them back and forth, their looks adding to her pressure.

"Well?" Fili piped up, nudging his shoulder gently at her to check if she was still there.

Min had no choice. She hesitated for far too long, and if she did give a false age, they would figure it out sooner or later. She sighed in defeat and clenched her jaw. "I'm 75."

Just as she expected, all their eyes went wide in shock.

"And you're not lying?" Fili asked to make sure.

Min chuckled at his question. For a short amount of time, she had definitely gotten used to the distrust of dwarves. "Yes, I'm not lying, and it would make me feel less of a freak if all of you shut your mouths."

Suddenly aware of his dropped jaw, Kili closed his mouth immediately and smiled sheepishly. "Really protective father, huh?"

"Oh, you have no idea," Min laughed humorlessly.

"Well, then. I'm just happy I'm not the baby anymore," Kili joked, his face serious. This caused Fili and Bilbo to laugh.

"Finally, you'll stop nagging about it then?" Bilbo quipped, earning him a glare from the youngest dwarf.

Min on the other hand was still processing what Kili had just said. "You're the youngest?"

Kili smirked. "Why is that hard to believe?"

"Because any other person outside of this company would actually think Ori's the youngest. And when I say youngest, I mean way, way younger than you," Min said matter-of-factly.

Fili and Bilbo just burst out into laughter, while Kili looked supposedly offended. "Are you saying I look old?"

"Not really," Min answered, in all seriousness, "with your lack of beard in all."

That was it for Fili. Thorin could hear him laughing all the way from the back, and he just shook his head at the sound of his nephew's inappropriately loud laughing. Fili would usually stand up for his brother whenever they insulted him about his beard, but even he was surprised when he couldn't stop himself from laughing. Even the dwarves ahead of them had heard what she said, and couldn't stop themselves from snickering. Never in a million years did he think he would laugh at an elf's joke about Kili's lack of beard. I guess there's a first for everything.

Fili's incessant laughing and Kili's shocked expression gave Min the idea she had plucked a nerve there. Her mind immediately told her to apologize, but the impish glint in Kili's eye somehow relaxed her.

"Whatever, I'm still older than you," he shot back rather immaturely. He sat up and stuck his nose in the air.

"And by how many years, may I ask?" Min asked knowingly. It was Kili's childish demeanor that hinted to her the age gap wasn't going to be much.

"Two years, which means I'm two years smarter than you," Kili stated matter-of-factly. Fili and Bilbo rolled their eyes at this. Kili's ego will never fail to rear its ugly head into every conversation.

"I highly doubt that, but I'd like to test that theory sometime," Min challenged, letting her own ego take control of her words. Yes, she had lost years of experience for being imprisoned in their realm, but she wouldn't consider herself to be unwise. Unless they've tried hunting in Mirkwood, they still wouldn't have the right to completely call her inexperienced.

"Challenge accepted, my lady," Kili replied, earning him a playful eye roll from the she-elf.

"Now that your flirting is done and over with," Fili joked, causing his brother and his riding companion to blush, "I have another question."

"Before I give you permission to ask this question, I would just like to clarify, I was not flirting with your brother," Min said with an air of confidence.

"Uh-huh, right," Fili muttered, unconvinced by her words. Bilbo chuckled to himself as he waited for the dwarf prince's question. "What's with the gloves?"

There was no denying the hesitation on her face. _How am I going to lie my through this_, Min panicked. She couldn't think of any rational explanation for her gloves on the spot. She didn't really think she'd ever encounter a situation like this and failed to prepare for it. She couldn't say it was because of a birth defect—it was known in all of Middle-Earth that elves didn't really suffer from any birth defect at all. Even if she was shorter than your average elf, she could easily attribute that to the fact that she wasn't fully grown yet.

So she could only come up with the best answer to stop them from asking about it again in the future. She wasn't sure if her plan will work, but it was worth a shot.

"I'll only tell you if you tell me where you're company's going."

All three of her companions turned to each other with questioning looks. It seemed like they were having telepathic conversation, their eyes squinting at each other as they nodded in agreement. It seemed like forever as Min waited for an answer on her proposition. Judging by the look on Fili's face, he was the only one loyal to the company, unwilling to divulge anything about their quest. Kili and Bilbo, on the other hand, couldn't let their curiosities slide, but ultimately, their loyalty lies with the company, and they were forced to agree with Fili as all three of them turned to the elf again.

"Fine, if your secret is as confidential as our journey, then we won't pry," Fili announced with finality.

But his tone of voice didn't sit well with his younger brother. "But if we did tell you, would you tell us?"

Min did not have to ponder on this. She was taught to keep her word always, and breaking any promise would always haunt her conscience. "Yes, I would."

Her answer satisfied Kili immensely. It's not like he wasn't going to betray his uncle and spill out all the details right then and there. No, he was smarter than that. But the fact that she trusted him to some degree was enough for him. He didn't know what was causing all this, but he didn't want to think about. All he wanted to think about was how lucky he was that their paths had crossed.

Fili, however, sat uncomfortably as the questions were now directed at the hobbit. He would join in here and there, but whenever he heard his brother's voice, he would turn silent again. Something about his brother's hopefulness earlier suggested the one thing he wished would never happen. If his brother were to betray his uncle and the company, he would still love him and accepted him, _only if_ it was for the good of the company, and not for the trust of an elf he barely even knows.

* * *

As the week dragged on, the company continued to venture across the Great East Road. At this point in the journey, there were no more inns for them to visit, or pubs for them to be thrown out off. It was now all trees and grass and the smell of nature.

Min was lucky enough to have fit in somehow. Some of the dwarves were still unsure of her, but a few of them were slowly putting their trust in her. She was very careful and cautious about her actions around the dwarves, but when she was with Fili and Kili, she allowed herself to let loose and join in with whatever they were doing. She had managed to get involved in six pranks, and every time she got caught, she immediately placed blame on the brothers. Even if they could easily blame her for all of their misfortunes, the cleverly thought out pranks were definitely not her doing, and there were only two people in the company who lived for other people's embarrassment.

While she was having her fun with his nephews, Thorin silently watched her from afar. He was not amused by his nephews clinging to an elf; in fact, every time he saw them even looking at her, he would try to think of something for them to do. Unfortunately, Min liked helping people and inevitably thwarted all of his plans. Every time he caught sight of her, he was just itching to release some pent up anger, but he couldn't do it in front of his company, especially not in front of his nephews.

There was still something about her looks that bugged him. Her blue eyes and blonde hair were so very familiar, yet he could not pinpoint whom he was trying to remember. This went on for days, him staring at her intently until someone caught him. They would usually dismiss his actions, only because they thought he was scowling at her for being an elf. That was partially true, but day by day, her face continued to haunt him, and he couldn't figure out why.

* * *

Dusk was fast approaching, and before darkness fell, the company arrived at a clearing with the ruins of a house at one side. As soon as Gandalf and Min caught sight of it, all traces of their joyous mood had vanished and they both eyed it suspiciously.

"We'll camp here for the night," Thorin announced, pulling on the reigns of his pony. The whole company followed his lead and stop theirs, jumping off and unpacking their things.

"Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."

Fili nodded but grunted silently. When their quest began, he was up for anything; he didn't care what it demanded. But as it dragged on, he came to realize watching over things was not his favorite past time.

He swung his legs over and got of his pony. As he stood, he had expected Min to get off herself, but she just sat there, looking at the distance.

"Need some help there?" Fili joked. He reached for her arm, but she only silenced him. "What?"

"We shouldn't be here," she muttered. Min squinted her eyes and took a deep breath before getting off the pony and walking over to Thorin. Fili watched her walk off with a confused look, but went about with his business and directed his pony into the forest.

"A farmer and his family used to live here."

Gandalf's words echoed in Min's ears as she approached them. "Thorin, I don't think it's a good idea to stay here."

Thorin's eyes turned a shade darker as he turned to the elf. "I did not let you accompany us to seek for advice. If you do not want to camp here, feel free to camp somewhere else."

Min couldn't stop her face from turning the brightest red she could ever imagine. She was already warning him of a danger that could most likely threaten the company and this is how he responds? She accepted that he did not trust her, but she could not accept the fact that he was the rudest person she has ever met.

"She is right. I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley since—"

"I have told you already I will not go near that place," Thorin warned. He looked at Gandalf sharply. Yes, he agreed to escort the elf to Rivendell, but that doesn't mean he was willing to seek refuge from the elves themselves.

Seeing the determined look on Thorin's face, Min wanted to scream out in frustration. _Are dwarves really this stubborn? _To avoid hurtling herself towards Thorin, she walked past him briskly into the broken house to calm herself. Once she stepped in, she immediately regretted it. If she could sense the danger outside, it was much stronger in here. The sounds of Gandalf and Thorin's conversation were drowned out by a distant voice—no, voices. They were screaming in agony, and what even made it worse was she couldn't figure out what was bringing them this agony. The voices were so vivid and loud in her mind yet she couldn't make a mental picture of what could've happened in this house.

The more she stayed inside, the louder the screams became. Her own screams were bubbling in her throat, but before they could force their way out of her mouth, she shoved past Thorin into the cold breeze that tickled her face. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting nature calm her mind. Once she had gotten a hold of herself, she turned to Gandalf and Thorin to warn them of the voices in her head, yet Gandalf had walked right past her.

"Everything alright?" the hobbit asked, coming closer to them. "Gandalf, where are you going?"

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense," Gandalf fumed, stomping to Valar knows where.

"And who's that?"

"Myself, Mr. Baggins! I've had enough of dwarves for one day!"

And with that, his grey, pointy hat disappeared into the woods and left the whole company confused and worried.

"Is he coming back?" the hobbit asked frantically, only to receive shrugs from his companions.

Min sighed as Thorin continued to bark orders to the company. She couldn't believe they had lost their wizard. She knew Gandalf wouldn't abandon them, yet who knows when he'll be back. Instead of dwelling on it some more, she ignored the sinking feeling in her stomach and walked into the forest to calm her nerves down.


	10. Chapter 10

For the past hour, Miniel stood in front of the broken house.

She couldn't shake the anxious feeling that bubbled in her chest. Once she returned from the woods, she was still antsy. She tried to make herself more useful, but her mind was elsewhere, and she did not understand why. She couldn't stop the screams from echoing in her ears, and the more she tried to distract herself, the louder they became.

She couldn't understand why this was happening. She tried to recall if this has happened to her before, yet she could not dig up any memories. At some point, she wondered if others could hear the screaming too, but their mundane activities proved she was the only one. She had never needed anyone to help her cope with her abilities, but she needed Gandalf now more than ever. She knew he was the only one who could tell her what's wrong with her, and Min wasn't patient enough to wait for him to come back.

"Are you alright?"

Coming up right beside her was her new hobbit friend, and all she could do was heave an exhausted sigh. "We cannot be here."

Bilbo's head cocked to the side. He was worried for his friend; he could finally see the fatigue in her eyes. He did not know what had happened to her prior to their discovery of her, but it didn't seem like a good experience. "How come?"

"Something dangerous was here," she said, clenching her hands into fists. She had an undeniable urge to flee and run, something she had picked up ever since the orc's attacked, but she could not do that now. Under these unfortunate circumstances, she couldn't keep on running even if it saved her. "Bilbo, I can hear them."

"Hear who?"

"The family that lived here." Saying it out loud made her collapse to her knees. "They won't stop screaming in my ear, and I want to figure out what's happening but all I can hear are the screams. It's like they're asking for my help, but there's nothing I can do about it. They're dead, Bilbo. What's left for me to do?"

Bilbo got on his knees beside her. The only thing he could think of doing was rub small circles on her back, hopping it would calm her down. When he signed up for this adventure, the only evil his mind could conjure up was bad weather and bland food. But what was slowing chewing up his friend was not something he had anticipated.

"You're right, there's nothing you can do," Bilbo started, hoping he was going somewhere good with this. "But you shouldn't dwell on it. You can't blame yourself for something you were never able to witness."

Min turned to Bilbo, her eyes bleak and tired. Whatever was happening to her now managed to suck all of the energy out of her. All she wanted to do now was sleep and escape the voices that clouded her mind. She smiled weakly at Bilbo's attempt to cheer her up, and even if it didn't work, she was still grateful for his concern.

"Now, if you're looking to drown out these screams you're hearing, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I believe dwarves would do the trick," Bilbo suggested, standing up and waiting for her to do the same. He was a bit surprised they were almost at eye level. He may have gotten used to Gandalf's freakishly tall height, but Miniel's would have to take some time.

"I can't believe I'm saying this either, but I think you're right," Min agreed, getting on her feet and walking back to the rest of the company with the hobbit. Once they arrived, they were instantly greeted by a heated argument between Gloin and Dwalin, and it would be a shame if they didn't get to witness it.

* * *

As the sun fell and moon rose, the company was still wizard-less. Min was getting impatient. From time to time, the screams continued to pierce her ears, which gave her all the more reason to expect for Gandalf's return. The dwarves, however, had no trouble forgetting they even had a wizard in the company. He was a wizard after all. He could take care of himself, right? They didn't find any reason to worry about him. They just hoped he would return soon.

The person who was taking Gandalf's disappearance the worst was Bilbo. With Min sensing a dangerous presence lurking in the forest, this was the appropriate time to seek fro Gandalf's help. But now that Gandalf is missing, this presence could just attack them and finish them off one by one. The thought of this frightened Bilbo right down to his bones, and he decided to pace around to let his nerves calm down. It wasn't working, by the way.

"He's been a long time," Bilbo quipped, walking over to Bofur, who was pouring stew into bowls.

"Who?"

"Gandalf."

Bofur chuckled at the hobbit. "He's a wizard! He does as he chooses. Here, do us a favor. Take this to the lads."

Bofur handed him two bowls without waiting for a reply, and continued on serving the others. Min, overhearing their conversation, put her own bowl aside and walked over to Bilbo.

"Here, I'll come with you," she said, taking one of the bowls from him. It's been a while since these two commented on her unusual elvish traits, and she could sure use an insult or two to keep her spirits up. They walked into the forest where Fili and Kili are, but once they saw them, they noticed the two were staring off into the darkness.

"What's the matter?" Bilbo asked, handing on of the bowls to Kili. Kili made no move to take it though. He was too panicked to even answer his question.

"We're supposed to look after the ponies," he was able to muster, but that's all his lips could handle.

"Only we've encountered a slight problem," Fili continued. "We had sixteen. Now there's fourteen."

"Fourteen?" Min said sternly. She knew she didn't have the right to get mad at them, but this was just the sort of thing she was dreading when they set up camp here. "I thought you two were watching them. How could they go missing?"

Before Fili and Kili could defend themselves, Min carefully shoved the bowl she was holding into Bilbo's hands and surveyed the area. She could hear the screams again, but instead of letting them take over, she tried her best to push them aside. As she counted the ponies to make sure they hadn't missed any, the sinking feeling had returned again.

"Shouldn't we tell Thorin?" Bilbo offered, but this only earned him two nervous looks.

"Uh, no," Fili interjected quickly, putting his arm around the hobbit and directing him to the scene of the crime. "Let's not worry him. As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it."

Bilbo was not up for any of the brothers' antics today, but with all of the worries that plagued his mind, he couldn't allow his body to resist. He followed the two brothers around and did as he was expected to do.

Meanwhile, Min halted abruptly at Fili's words. _Official burglar? Am I travelling with a bunch of thieves? _Min tried to rationalize what she had just heard. They couldn't be thieves; they didn't look the part. But then again, why would thieves want to look like thieves?

Her paranoia was now at an all time high. First, she was being haunted by the family that seemingly suffered a tragic death, and now she couldn't shake off the fact that maybe they accompanied her, not to take her to Rivendell, but to steal from her.

She was still thinking all of this through when Fili snapped her out of her own thoughts.

"Hey! There's a light!"

All three of the males made a conscious effort to quietly approach the glowing light ahead of them, but Min effortlessly walked behind them, her thoughts still elsewhere. It wasn't until Kili pulled her down with them when she managed to come back down to earth. They could hear hoarse laughter coming from the direction of the light, and in an instant, the dwarf brother's faces were adorned with scowls.

"What is it?" Bilbo asked, squinting his eyes in an attempt to figure out what was causing all the raucous.

"Trolls," Kili hissed.

Without waiting for the two others, Fili and Kili darted towards the fire and hid behind a tree with a large trunk. Min and Bilbo quickly followed, but the sounds of trees toppling over made them push themselves up towards a tree, squeezing in as tight as they can so they would go unnoticed. When the coast was clear, they took a peek at the ugly trolls carrying another couple of ponies.

Bilbo gasped. "He's got Myrtle and Minty! I think they're going to eat them. We have to do something."

The very suggestion sparked a plan in the brothers' heads. Their heads snapped towards Bilbo, and they could not be any happier to have him in the company.

"Yes, you should," Kili agreed, taking the bowl from the hobbit. "Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small, they'll never see you."

Min's eyes averted back to her companions. She could not believe what she was hearing. They didn't notice the taut look in her face, which made her glower at them. "Are you mad? You cannot just—"

"It's perfectly safe. We'll be right behind you," Kili assured, nudging Bilbo forward.

"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl," Fili instructed, taking the other bowl and giving Bilbo one last push.

Min was still having a hard time accepting what she had just heard. Did they just send their poor, defenseless friend into a group of Mountain trolls that could squish him under their feet?

Once Bilbo snuck towards the ponies, Fili and Kili smugly smiled at each other. Another crisis almost averted. However, their little celebration was put to a halt when they finally took notice of their elven friend glaring at them.

"I can't believe you just did that," Min hissed, standing up from her crouching position and towering over the two brothers. "You are such cowards!"

Offended by her words, Kili stood up confidently and matched her glare. "How dare you call us cowards!"

"How dare I?" Min scoffed. "How dare _you_! Do you even realize what you just did?"

"Yes, we are trying to save the ponies," Kili argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

Min sneered. "Not only are you a coward, but you are delusional as well. Now, be an actual hero and go call the others."

Without another word, Min followed behind Bilbo, making sure her hair hit Kili's face as she turned. She could hear them calling her to come back, but she was too angry to even look at them.

While walking off, she tried to stop the smile that was slowly forming on her face. She had never felt this brave since the orcs had attacked her, but she was happy she was slowly getting it back. It gave her an adrenaline rush. If Fili and Kili were too chicken to face these trolls, then she'll just have to test her courage to see if she were any better than them.

Coming closer to where the trolls kept the ponies, she could see Bilbo calculating his own plan to free their only ride. She had to admit, it was adorable, the way he planned it out, and she hoped Bilbo would succeed on his plan.

Seeing as he was struggling to get a knife from one of the trolls, Min moved towards him to give him a hand, but not without catching a few words in the trolls' conversation.

"Well, it's better than the little old farmer. All skin and bone, he was. I'm still picking bits of him out of me teeth."

The screams echoed in her ears again. With this newfound information, her mind was able to put the pieces together and create a mental picture of what happened. It wasn't exactly the same, but it was vivid enough for her mind to see the trolls mercilessly skin these people and pop them into their pot. It was so gruesome that she had to force down the stew she had earlier.

Gripping onto a nearby tree, she was just about ready to spew when she heard a shriek coming from one of them. Her eyes darted towards the ponies, and she panicked when she had lost Bilbo out of her sights. Her eyes wandered around, searching for her little friend, until she saw him scrambling around, trying to get away from these disgusting creatures. One of them managed to catch him by his legs and held him upside down in the air.

"Gotcha! Are there any more of you little fellas hiding where you shouldn't?

As if on cue, Min's blind courage propelled her forward into the open without a very well thought out plan. But of course, that managed to escape her mind as unsheathed her sword and pointed it at them.

"Yes, and you have about three seconds to drop him before I cut you all up into pieces," Min threatened. She was stunned by her own words. She didn't know she had it in her to scare someone that was ten times way bigger than her. It added fuel to her adrenalin, which slowly took over her whole body.

"Ooh, an elf! Hadn't had one in a while," one of them cheered, making a move to grab her. As if on instinct, Min swung her sword and sliced his hand, causing him to retract it and howl in pain.

"There's more where that came from. Now, drop the hobbit," she ordered, her grip tightening around her sword. She could feel her arms shaking, but she couldn't let that stop her now. If only she hadn't spaced out earlier, she would've thought of a proper plan, yet it's already been proven that things didn't exactly go as she hoped.

"Do you actually think you scare us?" the one holding Bilbo mocked. The other two laughed with him, making their own jokes about how puny she was. She gasped at each offensive word they called her, but she knew she couldn't waste any time. If she ever had to take advantage of someone's stupidity, now was the time.

While the three of them continued to laugh hysterically, she stabbed Bilbo's captor in the foot. He yelped in pain, but did not budge. Instead, his grip around Bilbo tightened, and he saw the agony etched on his face. Min internally cursed herself for making a wrong move, but before she could even pull her sword out of the troll, she was swept off her feet and lifted in the air.

"Stupid, elf. Did you think you could actually take us?"

Min was just about to curse her own luck, but her ears perked up at the sound of leaves rustling and loud footsteps thudding on the ground. She was surprised the trolls did not even notice the sounds, but then again, they were too busy being arrogant about the fact they captured an elf.

Min couldn't help but roll her eyes at them. It reminded her of the two dwarves earlier, and right there, she had made a conclusion that men, whatever race or kind, were absolutely full of themselves.

Speaking of dwarves, one of them had hopped out of a nearby bush, and she was surprised to see Kili armed with his sword, ready to attack.

"Drop 'em," he commanded, his eyes dark and his stance dangerous.

However, the trolls still didn't listen. Literally. They were too surprised to see the dwarf to even realize he was speaking.

"You what?"

"I said drop 'em," Kili warned again, his voice more demanding this time.

As ordered, both trolls threw their respective prisoners, and Kili couldn't figure out which one he should catch. Luckily, Fili showed up just in time to catch the hobbit in his arms, while Miniel flew in Kili's direction. He had is arms open and ready, and while he did catch her, he did not anticipate her height to send them both crashing down onto the ground.

The rest of the company arrived, all armed with weapons, and attacked the trolls.

"Are you alright?" Kili asked frantically, pushing her on her back and looking for any injuries. Min's head was pounding, but she wasn't going to reveal that to him.

"I'm fine," she groaned. She quickly got to her feet as best as she could, leaving Kili behind again. She didn't want to sit on the sidelines anymore. She may have been helpless before, but deep down, she knew she had all the courage she needed to face whatever may come.

She reached for her sword, but when she realized it was still stuck in one of the trolls' foot, she looked around for another useful weapon she could use. She patted her belt, feeling for which knife would be the best one at the moment.

As she pulled one out, she charged at the trolls, slicing and cutting and stabbing until they fell, but unfortunately, none of them did. No matter what weapon took a hit at them, they were still standing, and this frustrated her to no end.

While trying to free one of the dwarves from the hands of a troll, she caught a glimpse of her sword still wedged into its foot. She still made no rational plan to get it back safely, but considering the circumstances, there was no time to think of one.

She acted on her instincts, and lunged forward at the foot, grabbing a hold of the sword's handle and trying to pull it out. She cursed herself for stabbing it in too deep, and while the troll kept stomping and wiggling its foot, she held onto the sword like her life depended on it. Along the way, she had managed to hop onto its foot and her grip on the sword was the only thing keeping her there.

As it slowly started to loosen, she triumphantly pulled the sword out, but this triumph was short-lived when she lost stability on the foot and was sent flying into the air. She collided with a bolder, the back of her head receiving the worst impact. She landed on the ground with a loud thud, and the last thing she saw before she completely blacked out was the image of Bilbo being held up in front of the company.


	11. Chapter 11

"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage."

"Ooh, that does sound quite nice."

Miniel's head was throbbing. No, that's a bit of an understatement. It was like there were little dwarves inside her head just continuously banging her head with their tiny hammers, and she desperately wanted to make the pain go away. She wanted to slip back into a deep sleep, but the trolls and dwarves weren't going to let that happen.

Groaning, Min slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the sleepiness in her eyes. Once her vision cleared, she was now face-to-face with someone's beard, except it wasn't a beard at all. It was just all stubble and neck.

"Oh, thank Mahal, you're awake," Kili sighed, his eyes closing in relief.

Min reflexively jerked her head back when she realized she was sleeping slightly on top Kili, her head resting on the crook of his neck. At any given day, Kili would've found this amusing, but considering their current situation, he looked down at Min worriedly as she grimaced with pain. _Min, you idiot. No sudden movements_.

"What's happening?" she grumbled, her head slowly studying the scene before her. She tried to move her arm so she could at least rub her temples to soothe her throbbing headache. Instead, her arms kept jerking sporadically, shoving some of the dwarves beside her.

"Stop moving," Kili hissed, being on the receiving end of one of her shoves.

Realizing she was tied up, she looked around to see if everyone else was. What she didn't expect to see, however, were some of the dwarves tied to the spit currently being roasted.

"Wait!"

All eyes averted to the source of the voice, and it was no other than the hobbit himself. He was in one of the sacks they were in and his face was dirty with troll snot. They all looked at him, puzzled. _What is he doing?_

"You are making a terrible mistake," Bilbo continued, hopping forward into the light. All the trolls squinted at him and ducked their heads lower to look at him.

"You can't reason with them! They're half-wits!" Bombur interjected, struggling in his own sack.

She wasn't quite sure who, but one of the dwarves butted in the conversation. "Half-wits? What does that make us?"

"I meant with the seasoning," Bilbo corrected. "I mean, have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up."

Min wasn't stupid. She knew this Bilbo had a plan, she just wasn't sure what. But what she was sure of was dwarves had terrible trust issues. With every word Bilbo said, they all insulted and yelled obscenities as him. Min couldn't help herself. She shook her head and allowed her head to drop.

"Pe-channas," Min muttered.

Kili noticed her indifferent attitude. He didn't understand what she had just said, but hearing the elvish word leave her lips fueled his anger. They were already doomed to be eaten and this hobbit was making the situation worse. To add to that, this elf is now clearly insulting them. If pushed a little more, Kili might actually break his hands free and strangle them both.

"Oh, not that one! He's infected," Bilbo said, his confidence faltering a little bit. He didn't know just how stupid these trolls are, but he hoped they were at least right below the dwarves.

"He what?" One of them asked incredulously.

"Yes, he's got worms in his…tube," Bilbo answered, causing the troll to drop Bombur back in the pile. Some of the dwarves groaned as Bombur landed right on top of them. Min had managed to dodge a bullet, Bombur landing just mere inches away from her. _Serves them right, anyway_, she concluded as the sounds of their groans rung in her ears.

"In fact, they all have. They're infested with parasites. It's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it; I really wouldn't," Bilbo insisted. He was running out of things to say. He just hoped the dwarves would smarten up and cooperate now.

"We don't have parasites! You have parasites!" Kili yelled back at him, and Min cringed at how loud his voice became. It wasn't helping for her headache, so she jabbed her elbow into what she hoped was his ribs. He shot her a glare, but continued yelling at their burglar.

Amidst all this, Thorin had managed to catch the desperate and irritated expression on the hobbits face, and for a moment, he felt stupid for not realizing his plan. As he listened to his company badmouthing him, he kept his eyes trained on Bilbo as he kicked whoever was nearest to his feet. Once he had the attention of his company, he looked at them sternly, and as if on cue, they all turned to Bilbo with realization on their faces.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!"

"Mine are the biggest parasites! I've got huge parasites!"

Hearing this from Kili, Min had a hard time suppressing her laughter. She made a mental note to tease him about it later and joined the company in declaring just how riddled they were.

"What would you have us do, then? Let them all go?" a trolled asked.

Bilbo shrugged his shoulders. "Well…"

"You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools!"

"Ferret?" Bilbo exclaimed. He didn't care if now was not the time to be offended. He wasn't going to let some stupid troll call him a rodent!

As everyone started struggling for freedom, Min was stuck in her place between Kili and Gloin. She may be much taller than them, but there was no denying they were much heavier. They managed to push her down on the ground and keep her there as their bodies wiggled for freedom.

_By Valar, I will kill these dwarves one day_. She just stayed there, exasperated. She couldn't even struggle for her freedom. They weighed her down until she could not move, and all she could do was wait for one last ray of hope. As if her mind was being read, she caught a glimpse of a tall figure standing on a large rock in front of them. Min sighed with relief as Gandalf's voice overpowered all of theirs.

"The dawn will take you all!"

All their attention was now focused on Gandalf, and the company was still stunned to finally see him since yesterday afternoon. The trolls, however, had no inkling of who he was or what he was even doing.

"Who's that?"

"No idea."

"Can we eat him too?"

With that last sentence, Gandalf broke the rock under him with his staff. The rock cracked under his force, and revealed the sun that had risen. In mere seconds, the trolls suddenly turned into stone, and in a matter of minutes, they were now stone hard statutes. As they heard the last yelp of pain, the whole company cheered for their savior. For a minute there, they actually thought they were going to be troll food.

With more help from Gandalf, the company was finally released from their bonds and helped the other others off the spit. All of this would have been a relief for Min, if they were not stripped down to their undergarments.

It was not that she had any problem seeing the dwarves in their long johns and trousers; it was just something you never expect to see at the crack of dawn. She reflexively turned away and got up so she could retrieve her weapons.

While fastening her belt around her waist, Fili approached her, gathering his weapons as well in the pile the trolls have made.

"Hey," he greeted nonchalantly, waiting for her reply. When she didn't say a word, he turned to her, yet her back was facing him. Puzzled, he stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Min snapped. She pushed Fili's hand off her and glowered down at him. "Did you know what you just did last night?"

"Um...," Fili trailed off. He wasn't exactly sure what all the fuss was about, but he just hoped he didn't do anything too serious. "Try to rescue Bilbo?"

Min, now slack-jawed, looked at him more darkly. "You are just as dense as your brother."

"Min, just please tell me what I did and I will apologize," Fili pleaded, unsure of what to do. He wasn't even sure what he did.

Just as Min opened her mouth to answer, Kili arrived, picking out all his weapons in the pile. Even he forgot the events of last night, and smiled at his brother and his elven friend. When Min scowled at him, he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What?" he asked, slinging his quiver of arrows around him.

"Rhaich! You sent a defenseless creature to face those trolls last night!" Min fumed, her arms now swinging in the air in frustration. "If you idiots had actually tried to help him, we would have freed those ponies undetected and we would have had a peaceful night!"

Fili and Kili were definitely startled by her high-pitched voice. They had never been yelled at by a woman before, with the exception of their mother, let alone an elf. But other than shock, they suddenly felt guilty upon recalling last night's plan. They had to admit, it wasn't their brightest one, but it was at the heat of the moment.

"I know you're terrified of your uncle, but was risking someone's life like that necessary?" Min went on, now pacing back and forth. She still couldn't believe they had done what they did. When it came to harmless creatures, she had a soft spot for them. If Bilbo was as dumb as these two, he would've definitely become a delicious meal for the trolls. Luckily, the company had this clever hobbit to save them.

"You know, a week ago, I thought highly of you two, especially you, Kili. I know that doesn't matter to you because really, you don't even know me, but any smart person wouldn't have done that. For such brave men as you claim to be, you're certainly dimwitted."

Fili took her rant like any mature person. She was right; her opinions of them shouldn't matter to him, but they did. Bilbo may have outsmarted everyone, but he couldn't imagine what would've happened if they didn't reach him in time, or if he didn't figure out a plan to buy them some time. He was eternally grateful for this halfling, and he knew he deserved an earful. Kili, on the other hand, was not having it.

Yes, he agreed sending Bilbo off alone was not the best idea, but they were still alive. No harm done, right? So who was she to just go on and on about how he was a coward when a week ago, he had saved her from a six orcs? If she hadn't expected him to be a coward, he certainly did not expect her to be a hypocrite.

"Dimwitted?" Kili scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Don't try to act all high and mighty here. Yes, I admit, what I did was a cowardly thing, but do not forget what happened a few nights ago. You can say it was unfair, six orcs to one elf, but you could have taken them by yourself.

"If I'm not mistaken, elves are skilled fighters. Not all, but most, and after seeing you fight last night, I knew you were a trained. If you are as smart as you claim to be, you could have taken down those orcs with your wit and your skills, yet there you were screaming for your life, and there I was doing what you should've done: saving yourself. So don't yell at me for being a coward, okay? Because you're just as much a coward as I am."

Min had stopped pacing. Her face was now red with anger and her nostrils were flaring. Her jaw was clenched, and so were her hands. She wasn't mad because Kili was telling her off, but she was mad because he called her out on being a coward. Every word he said, he was right.

Remembering her days in Mirkwood, she was not as scared as she was now. She would always venture into the sick forest, not caring about the dangers that lie ahead. However after the orc attack, she had lost all her courage, and that night in the Great East Road was something she was not proud of. If she didn't let fear overcome her, she would've thought of a plan and it would've been her arrows that were now pierced into those orcs. Kili's outburst had made her realize she had no right to be mad at them, considering they were both frightened and paralyzed with fear.

Kili and Min continued their stare off, both waiting to see which one will give in. However, both stubborn as they are, neither of them was going to let the other win. They could do this all day, but Thorin had other plans. Upon seeing the heated exchange between the elf and his nephew, he strode towards them, but since they were too busy mentally killing each other, he cleared his throat to get their attention.

Min and Kili snapped their heads towards him, their glares never faltering, but seeing Thorin's own glare changed that. They were now suddenly aware of the other dwarves' presence, as well as the hobbit's and the wizard's, and they embarrassingly tried to avoid their gazes.

"Done arguing?" Thorin spat, evidently displeased with what was going on.

Kili mumbled a low 'yes' while Min just turned on her heel and stopped away. She ignored all the eyes that followed her, and as she walked, she could feel Thorin burning a hole through the back of her skull. She was embarrassed he had to break them up, yet she was still seething and did not care less about what he thought of her now.

She now walked over to Gandalf, who was now walking out of the clearing and into the forest. She had no idea where he was going, but she quickened her pace before she could lose him. She fell into step with, and unable to control her anger, reverted back to her native tongue.

"I need to speak with you," Min said sternly.

Despite her urgency, Gandalf remained calm and unwavering. "Now is not the appropriate time for your questions."

"When is the appropriate time, Gandalf? I'm slowly losing my mind because of this!" Min whisper-screamed. She was close to pulling all her hair out, yet Gandalf was still oblivious to all her concerns. She was starting to think he didn't have any answers at all, and she was just wasting all of her hope in him.

"When we get to Imaldris, I will give you the answers you seek," Gandalf replied simply, but his voice had an edge to it.

"But Thorin won't even—"

"Do not worry about him. Just be patient, my dear."

Min stopped in her tracks. If she was fuming before, she was absolutely on fire now. After yesterday, she didn't have any patience left to give. Since the beginning of her journey, she was slowly starting to lose herself, and she didn't know what propelled this change. Instead of her usual calm, casual self—the one everyone knew her for in the Woodland realm—she was now easily irritated and always on edge. On top of all the physical activity, this sudden change in her behavior drained her the most.

She had no more time for patience, because what had frozen her on her spot were the sounds of elves screaming.


	12. Chapter 12

"What is that stench?!" Nori's nose wrinkling as the foul smell wafted into his nose. It had obviously come from the cave they were approaching, and they couldn't even imagine what was currently in it.

"It's a troll hoard," Min hissed, but not because of its putrid smell. Screams were echoing in her ears again, but these weren't the same voices. In fact, the cries sounded familiar, and they could've only belonged to elves. They were only faint sounds, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

As Gandalf and a group of dwarves consisting of Nori, Bofur, Gloin, Dwalin and Thorin entered the cave, Min backed away reflexively, as if she had touched fire. She walked and walked and walked until the screams faded away completely. The last elven words she could hear were slowly becoming more distant as she leaned on a tree with her forearm and rested her forehead on top of it.

"Edraith enni," she whispered to herself, her eyelids now drooping. She had yet to understand this ability she discovered, but right now, all she wanted was to shut her eyes and rest. When she joined the company, she had hoped it was going to be smooth sailing, not sucking the life out of her.

"Are you alright?"

Just the sound of his voice was enough for her to identify him, so she remained still and let him place a hand on her lower back.

"Just dandy," Min deadpanned.

Bilbo sighed deeply. "Fili apologized to me earlier. Was this your doing?"

"You deserved the apology," Min said matter-of-factly, standing up straighter and looking at the hobbit. "You could've died, you know."

"But I didn't," Bilbo smiled reassuringly. "I'm here, aren't I? Don't be so hard on them, they're barely even adults."

"Hey!"

Bilbo and Min jolted on their spots. Realizing who it was, Bilbo rolled his eyes as Fili stepped out from behind a tree and walked over to them. He looked very offended, but this didn't stop Bilbo from shaking his head out of exasperation. Not only did Fili ruin their plan of getting Min to forgive him, he was making a big fool out of himself there and then.

Min was still oblivious to their plan though. She would've figure it out if she wasn't to busy focusing on the fact that for once in her life, someone has actually surprised her like that. Depending on the circumstances, she would've considered that a wrong move on her part, but this time she was impressed that a dwarf had unknowingly outsmarted her sense.

Only because she let her guard down, mind you.

"I'll have you know, I am 82-years-old and a fully grown dwarf adult," Fili stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But that doesn't stop you from acting like an immature dwarfling," Min chimed in. Bilbo stifled his laughter upon seeing the insulted look on Fili's face. Min had only meant this as a joke, and let that joke symbolize her act of forgiveness. Seeing the look on Fili's face, she assumed she managed to get another dwarf to hate her, but fortunately for her, Fili had suddenly smiled and shook his head with resignation.

"Okay, I deserved that, but I really am sorry and I'm glad you're not angry with me anymore."

Min smiled at this. She was touched by Fili's attempts to mend their friendship, even if they've only been friends for a short amount of time.

"I'm glad I'm not angry with you anymore, either," she said, looking very pleased with how this morning was turning out. She just hoped it would remain like this until they reached Rivendell.

Bilbo, satisfied with his work, clapped his hands together and smiled at the two. "Alright, now that my work is done, I'm going to speak with Gandalf."

The two friends watched the hobbit walked off, but followed in his footsteps when he was almost out of sight. They walked over to the rest of the company, who were sitting down and leaning against trees to rest. Min was tempted to do the same, but the curiosity that always struck the dwarves whenever she was around never failed to foil her plans.

"So you're a skilled fighter?" Fili asked.

"Well…" Min wavered for a moment. "I have been trained, but I wouldn't call myself a skilled fighter."

"Why not?" Fili's brows knitted together as he watched his elven friend take a seat on the ground in front of him. Out of reflex, he did the same, which he was thankful for because now he didn't he have to look up at the sky. "Your impeccable knife throwing skills still haunts me to this day."

Shamefaced, Min ducked her head a bit and plastered a crooked smile on her face. "Yeah, about that…When I threw that knife, I didn't exactly know where it was going to land."

Silence filled Fili for a moment, and his pensive expression frightened Min a bit. _Oh, no I told him too soon_, she feared, hugging her legs to her chest.

"So, are you meaning to tell me that I could've died that night?" Fili skeptically.

Min nodded slowly. When this realization hit her in the face, she suddenly felt guilty for not taking her training seriously before.

"Well, it's a good thing you missed then," Fili grinned.

Min smiled and relaxed her shoulders. How many bullets she managed to dodge, she didn't know, but she was just thankful. Fili had been nothing but kind to her since her addition to their company; she didn't want anything to ruin their friendship for the time being. She hoped she could say the same for Kili, but they way he glared at them as they conversed told her he was going to stay angry for a very long time.

"Don't mind him."

Her eyes cut back to her companion, but realized he was looking at someone else. She followed his gaze, which was now on Bofur, who was now standing beside Fili.

"He's just a stubborn lad. He'll be more pleasant later," Bofur assured, standing beside Fili.

"I hope so," Min muttered as she took a fleeting glance at the young dwarf prince. To stop Kili from sneaking into her thoughts, she turned to Bofur and remembered the question she had asked Fili and Kili before. "Hey, Bofur."

"Aye?" Bofur replied, his eyebrows rising expectantly.

"Do you know why Thorin hates elves?" she asked bluntly.

She didn't want to beat around the bush anymore. Earlier, when he had stopped the argument that rose between her and his nephew, she could sense the displeased tone in his voice. She wasn't stupid enough to think it was because his nephew was an imbecile. No, she knew deep down that his company interacting with her irked him. Since they left a week ago, he had barely spoken to her, and every time he would even look at her, his dark gaze was enough to scare even the mightiest of warriors.

"Well, lass. If you were in our situation, I wouldn't be proud if my own kin turned their backs on yours," Bofur said sadly, finally taking a seat beside them.

"Why? Was it really that bad?" Min asked worriedly. She was puzzled as to why she had never heard about this. If it were something really grave, stories of it would always find a way to be told to any elf who had not known.

"Far worse than bad, my dear," Bofur answered gloomily, launching into the tragic story of their homeland. He recounted the day Smaug the Terrible destroyed their beloved home and the great City of Dale. He carefully described the pain and the agony the dwarves and the Men had gone through during the attack, hoping it parked a little bit of guilt on her part. He may be fond of this elf, but he will never forget the tragedy that struck his kin.

Unfortunately, what he didn't know was Miniel had no inkling of what her own kin had done. She had not even heard of the story before. How she had missed it, especially since her own kind was involved, escaped her. For 75 years, not one mention of this mountain or this dragon had been made, and she had a feeling she knew who was behind this.

"This is where your kind comes in," Bofur said in a lighter mood this time. "Before the dragon came, the dwarves and the elves had friendly relations with each other, but all that ended when King Thror would not give your king what he wanted."

"My king?" Min asked suddenly. "King Thranduil?"

"Yes, that one," Bofur affirmed. "After the attack, King Thranduil arrived at Erebor with an army, yet when Thorin asked for help, he turned his back on them. He left them to fend for themselves without any remorse, and from that day onward, Thorin had vowed to never trust the elves ever again."

Min could not believe what she had heard. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew deep down it was true. Only her father was selfish enough to something like that, and even if it happened years ago, before even Legolas was born, she could not accept the fact that her father basically left the dwarves for dead.

Min blinked at Bofur, and then at Fili. Judging by Fili's blank expression, it seemed that he had heard this tale before, but why wouldn't he? This story must've been passed down from generation to generation. Now she understood why the dwarves were initially hesitant to let her join them. She now understood why Thorin preferred to pay no heed to her presence. She now understood why up to this moment, some of the dwarves were still very wary around her.

"Excuse me," she snarled lowly, getting up from her spot and walking off. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but she needed to be alone. She needed to release all the anger that was now slowly engulfing her. She tried to rationalize what her father had done. She hadn't been there when Smaug attacked, so she didn't have any real reason to get mad at him. She didn't know her fathers intentions well enough to think he left them for immature reasons.

Yet that's all she could think about. She couldn't understand her father. He had been a great king, bringing nothing but great prosperity to his kingdom. As of late, she couldn't understand any of his motives. She couldn't understand why he abandoned the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, and after everything that has happened to her, she lost all understanding of why he is sending her away to Valinor. She thought she knew him, but all this journey had taught her was she didn't even know him one bit.

With frustration bubbling inside of her, she let out a guttural scream and stabbed the nearest tree with one of her knives. She kept stabbing at it, sending splinters of bark flying everywhere. She didn't even care if they flew to her eyes; she just needed to get all the anger out of her before any of the dwarves see her.

As she stabbed and stabbed, her knife ended up getting stuck into the tree, and the strength of her arms were not enough to pull it out. She let out another frustrated scream as she let go of the handle and punched the tree. Instead of this calming her down, it made her even angrier, and all she wanted was to go home and confront her father.

Digging her fingers into her waist, she shut her eyes and threw her head back, taking slow, deep breaths to regulate her erratic breathing. While doing a couple more breathing exercise, her sensitive ears twitched at the sounds of heavy footsteps.

"Please do not worry, I am fine," Min began, stopping Fili in his tracks.

"Well, that tree doesn't look fine to me at all," Fili mused, strolling right past her. He came up to the tree she just so violently released her anger on and inspected the damage. He eyed her knife, but quickly pulled it out to examine it. Just as he had suspected, the knife was now becoming blunt, and he cringed at the sight of it. This is exactly the kind of thing he didn't want happening to his own blades. "You're definitely a very temperamental woman, that I must say."

Min made an attempt to laugh at Fili's observation, but it was physically exhausting to even move her mouth. "I wasn't always like this, you know. It's just my father—"

Before Min could even continue on, she stopped herself short. In a tiny corner of her mind, Gandalf's words etched itself into there and shook violently for her to remember them. She had completely forgotten she wasn't supposed to mention her father, but the keen look on Fili's face said she had made a very huge mistake.

"Your father's what?" Fili prodded, handing her back her knife. Slowly, she took it from him and contemplated the words she should use that would vaguely allude to her father. She could've said it was nothing, or it was a long story, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. In fact, this very person was the reason for her very bad and short temper.

"He's just very complicated," Min decided and slide her knife back in its sheath. "He's been a great father to me and my older brother but there's just something about him that boils my blood. It's like, he shows us he loves us by doing this or that, then does something to completely taint that love."

"Like keeping you holed up in Mirkwood?"

Fili hadn't meant it as a joke, but this time, Min managed to laugh. "Yes, things like that."

"Well, maybe he's just trying to do what's best for you," Fili offered, hoping this would give her some closure on his father's actions.

"Oh, he's trying, but failing miserably," Min scoffed.

Fili didn't know what came over him, but he suddenly felt the need to defend her father. Maybe it was because he technically didn't have one growing up, and it felt like all fathers could do no wrong to him. While Thorin stepped in and played the role of father figure, he was somehow itching to know what it felt like to actually be with your own father.

Fili was about to open his mouth and say something when he noticed the distracted look on Min's face. He raised an eyebrow at her, but seeing her ears twitch, even only for a second, meant she could hear something or someone approaching. He wasted no time to warn the others of what was to come.

He ran to the company and told them to arm themselves. When the others only looked at him funny, Min came to his aid and warned them that someone was fast approaching. She drew out her sword, everyone following suite. They could now hear it: the sounds of leaves slapping against something and a sled quickly being dragged through the ground. The noise grew closer and closer, and in one swift motion a group of large rabbits appeared and came flying through the air, followed by a strange looking man on a sled.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!"

Everyone was flustered and confused by the appearance of this odd creature, but Gandalf and Min looked relatively pleased.

"Radagast! Radagast the Brown," Gandalf announced for everyone. Having heard Bilbo and Gandalf's conversation days before, they were familiar with Radagast, but they didn't expect him to look so…different from Gandalf. They all withdrew their weapons and relaxed a bit. The grey wizard approached the brown one and looked at him grimly. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, Gandalf!" Radagast answered frantically, but when his eyes fell on the elf in front of him, he cocked his head to the side. "Miniel? I thought you've gone to Rivendell?"

Min blushed embarrassingly. "Yes, but I, uh, I took a little detour."

The perplexed Radagast looked around and finally noticed the dwarves around him. He was still oblivious to what was happening, but he had no time to ask.

"Something's wrong, Gandalf. Something's terribly wrong," Radagast cried.

When Gandalf urged him to continue, he opened his mouth, yet no words came out. He shut his mouth, but opened them again, only to shut it once more. Min was amused by Radagast's forgetfulness, but the others were still now more flustered and confused now that Gandalf pulled a stick insect out of his mouth.

"Come, Radagast, let us talk in private," Gandalf said, ushering the brown wizard of to one side. He turned to the company for a moment and searched for the elf. "Min, I think you might want to join us."

Min was just as surprised as the dwarves. She couldn't imagine what sort of business Radagast had with Gandalf at the moment, and she certainly didn't know what she had to bring to the conversation. She walked off with them nonetheless, but not without a quick glance at the company. They had been staring at her, but they all looked away when she turned around. The only one who didn't was Kili, and Min could tell he was the most curious one of them all.

When they found a safe distance from the dwarves, Gandalf brought out his pipe and started to light it. Min did not know what that meant, but she was sure it wasn't something good.

"The Greenwood is terribly sick, Gandalf. Much sicker than before. A darkness has fallen over it. Nothing grows any more, at least nothing good. The air is foul with decay. But worst are the webs."

"Webs?" Min repeated. She and Gandalf turned to Radagast with serious, but frightened looks on their faces. "What do you mean?"

"Spiders, Miniel," Radagast answered feverishly. "Giant ones. Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant, or I am not a Wizard. I followed their trail. They came from Dol Guldur."

Now this struck Gandalf's curiosity. "Dol Guldur? But the old fortress is abandoned."

Radagast's anxious look turned into a grave one. "No, Gandalf. It is not."

"You went inside Dol Guldur?" Min asked incredulously.

"Have you been there, Miniel?" Gandalf asked, putting his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. Gandalf was aware of her adventures in Mirkwood, even if they had not met before, but the one place he hoped she'd never find was Dol Guldur. Unfortunately, he got his hopes up for nothing.

"Just outside," Min uttered. "I wanted to go in, but I was not alone, so I opted not to continue."

"Oh, no, my dear," Radagast scolded. Min furrowed her eyebrows at this, but before she could even ask why, Radagast interrupted her. "You must never go in. Never."

"Why? What's in there Radagast?"

For a second, Radagast looked into the distance, but then started narrating his experience in the old fortress. "A dark power dwells there, such as I have never felt before. It is the shadow of an ancient horror, one that can summon the spirits of the dead. I saw him, Gandalf. From out of the darkness, a Necromancer has come."

Gandalf's eyes turned darker as Radagast mentioned its name. Gandalf had only sensed this darkness lurking in the forests of Mirkwood, yet he could not grasp the fact that it was true. He didn't know why he needed more convincing. The fact that Miniel was here and was being hunted down my orcs was proof enough; he wasn't sure what else he needed.

He waited for Radagast to continue his story, but the distant look in his eyes said he was now stuck in his flashback. Min shook him slightly, and once his presence of mind had returned to them, he offered Radagast a puff of his smoke to relax him a bit.

"Now, a Necromancer. Are you sure?" Gandalf asked for confirmation.

Radagast pulls out a cloth-wrapped package from his coat and hands it to Gandalf. As Gandalf slowly unwrapped the object, Min peered over his shoulder to get a look at what it was. Gandalf pushed the cloth off and revealed a sharp sword with a black handle.

"That is not from the world of the living," Radagast said slowly but gravely.

Min was barely able to catch what the brown wizard had said when her ears perked up again. This time, she could sense the threat that was heading towards the company. Sluggishly, she backed away from the wizards and walked over to the company, who were also aware of the sounds she could hear.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked frightened, looking around for the source of the sound. "Are there wolves out here?"

"Wolves?" Bofur repeated, his voice low and petrified. "No, that is not a wolf."

And in a split second, a giant, hairy beast came hurtling itself forward at the company, ready to tear them all into shreds.


	13. Chapter 13

With one swift motion, a giant warg fell on its side with a loud yelp.

The company didn't know what hit them. A second ago, they were searching for the growling sounds that threatened them, and then a warg now lay dead right in front of them the next. Pulling her sword out of its head, Min grimaced at her bloodied blade. She was oblivious to the dazed looks the company was giving her.

Everyone was too busy trying to recuperate while Min was trying to clean her sword when another warg attacked from the opposite side. In one swift motion, Kili pulled out an arrow from this quiver and sent it flying into the warg's head. Dwalin finished it off with a hard blow on the head with his axe, turning to the company sternly.

"Warg scouts," Thorin snarled, his voice coarse, "which means an orc pack is not far behind."

"Orc pack?" Min and Bilbo both blurted incredulously. They were both clearly terrified, but one was more traumatized than the other. She thought she had escaped those retched monsters, and now the thought of encountering them again made Min tremble violently.

Kili, whose attention was immediately grabbed by the word 'orc', instantly searched for Min. She may have insulted him before, but that didn't matter to him now. In fact, it felt like a distant memory, one that he had chosen to forget and leave behind. Once his eyes landed on her shaking figure, he immediately jolted towards her. Her legs were slowly turning into jell-o, and before he could reach her, she dropped her sword and fell on her knees.

Every ounce of courage she regained when she stumbled upon the company was slowly slipping away. The whole company watched the scene in front of them. Min was noticeably shaking now, and she tried her best to keep her head downcast out of embarrassment. She didn't want them to see her like this even if they didn't know who she really was. Fear was something their father had taught them to overcome, yet here she was slowly deteriorating because of it. This was something way beyond her control and she hated it.

Min was just about ready to pass out when a pair of rough, calloused hands grabbed her face and forced her head up. She was now face-to-face with the one dwarf she didn't think would care about her at this moment.

"Min, relax," Kili cooed, rubbing circles on her cheek. "These orcs, they're not going to get you. I won't let them."

Min, looking absolutely petrified, opened her mouth to say something, but all she did was gasp at the soft touch of Kili's thumb. She couldn't tell whether this was all a dream or not, but the feeling at the pit of her stomach wished it wasn't.

While Kili continued to whisper soothing words to her, Thorin watched on with grim look on his face. He was already worried about the danger that was to come, and to top that, he didn't like the way Kili comforted their elven companion. He wished they could just leave her behind; her sudden panic attack was going to slow them down anyway.

"What in Durin's name is going on?" Thorin demanded, looking Gandalf dead in the eye.

Gandalf had an inkling as to why the orcs suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but that information was certainly top secret, even for Thorin Oakenshield. "You are being hunted."

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin interjected. Unfortunately for them, Ori and Bifur arrived to tell them their ponies had abandoned them. Thorin's list of horrendous things he didn't expect to happen on their journey was slowly growing, and he wanted to take a minute to just chop a tree down and pretend it wasn't a tree.

"I'll draw them off," Radagast told the company, motioning towards his sled.

"These are Gundabad wargs," Gandalf warned. "They will outrun you."

However, the glint in Radagast's eyes told him he wasn't having it. "These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try."

* * *

After some more coaxing from Kili, and now with some help from Fili, Min had finally gotten to her feet and was ready to move. Her legs were still a little wobbly but she had to manage, unless she wanted to be left for dead. They were now hiding behind a huge boulder and waited for Gandalf's signal to run. Hearing the howl's of the wargs, Min unconsciously gripped onto the nearest dwarf to calm herself. That nearest dwarf just happened to be Dori, and aware of her traumatic experience, let her dig her fingers into his arm as they waited for the signal.

All pressed against the boulder, Gandalf snuck a peek at the huge land before him, spotting the orcs right on Radagast's tail. Once they disappeared, Gandalf motioned for the company to start running. One by one, the company followed Gandalf onto the next boulder. Min was at the back with Fili and Kili, who ran behind her to make sure her fear didn't cripple her and slow down the company.

The area was open, and there was no sure way for the company to hide from the orc pack that was currently being distracted and brought down by Radagast. They kept running and running, with Thorin managing to run up front and steer the company off the orcs' sights. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of directions for him to take, and he almost led the company right into the chase. Thorin halted, and commanded for the company to turn back and run the opposite direction.

"Stay together," Gandalf advised, running past the whole company with Thorin to get to the front.

They ran behind a large boulder, with Thorin at the head of the line. He continued right past it, but upon seeing the orcs, he stopped and stepped back. Ori, who was right behind him, kept running right past him, and he was lucky enough to have caught him before he blew their cover. As the wargs' howls grew distant, Gandalf gestured for the dwarves to keep running. He stayed behind and ushered them all to continue, but Thorin remained right by his side with a suspicious look on his face.

"Where are you leading us?" he demanded, but Gandalf just looked at him ruefully, running off after the last dwarf. Thorin sneered at Gandalf's response and followed right behind him.

As they continued to run, they almost blew their cover a second time, but they were fortunate enough to see a large group of rocks right beside them. When a line of orcs ran right in front of them, they all pushed each other to side, trying their best not to utter a sound. They pushed themselves up against the rocks and waited for any signal that indicated the coast was clear. Unfortunately for them, an orc strayed from its pack, and caught a whiff of their scent. It stood right on top of them, and every single one of them quietly held their breaths.

Thorin nodded his head at Kili, motioning to his bow. Min saw this, and inwardly panicked. If her memory served her well, orcs didn't pass away quietly. Well, that's what she had noticed. Even if Kili managed to shoot this orc down into its noiseless death, the warg would still emit a sound that could blow the company's cover and get them into more trouble.

Seeing carefully pulling out an arrow, Min stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and looked at him warningly. Kili burrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but Min just shook her head at him and looked down at his loaded bow. He followed her gaze, and realized what she was asking him to do. He didn't know which of them to follow, but if he was given a chance to weigh his options, he would've understood Min's reason for stopping him. Unfortunately, he did not know her well enough to choose her over his uncle, and swiftly stepped out into view.

Kili's arrow flew right above the wargs leg and sent it tumbling down the rocks. The other dwarves finished both the orc and warg off, and just as Min anticipated, a loud shriek pierced all of their ears. She had forgotten all about her fear and sighed with frustration, covering her eyes with a hand and shaking her head. Whatever they were doing, every one of them was suddenly interrupted when they heard howling in the distance, and Min knew the orcs had figured their plan out.

"Move! Run!" Gandalf told the others frantically, running ahead of them. They all followed, letting fear make their bodies move. As they ran, some of them caught glimpses of wargs in the distance, and every way they went, they could still see them.

"This way, quickly!" Gandalf said, but they were moving too slow, and soon enough they were surrounded by orcs and wargs.

"There's more coming!" Kili shouted as he ran back to the company. They gather closer to each other as the orcs come closer. They all look around, desperate to find a way to save themselves.

"Kili," Thorin bellowed, "shoot them!"

Everyone armed themselves as Kili began shooting arrows at the orcs. He managed to shoot down some of them, but the others came closer dangerously, ready to attack. Min, who was at the center of their circle, gripped on her sword tightly to stop herself from shaking. It was like she was having a serious case of déjà vu, and the way the orcs attacked her own company replayed in her mind over and over as the orcs around them continued to come closer to them.

"Where's Gandalf?" Kili asked after sending an arrow through an orc.

The company was suddenly aware of Gandalf's absence and anxiously looked for him. His grey, pointy hat was nowhere in sight and all the dwarves cursed him for leaving them. Min knew better than them. She didn't know Gandalf personally, but she trusted him, and she knew he wouldn't leave them like that if it wasn't going to help them at all.

As the company prepared to fight off the orcs, Gandalf popped up behind a rock and called out to the company. "This way, you fools!"

All of them caught a glimpse of Gandalf ducking down behind a rock. Without a moment's hesitation, the rest of the company ran towards it. Thorin arrived first, looking into the hole Gandalf had slid into.

"Quickly, all of you!" Thorin stood on the rock and watched as all of the members of his company slid down the hole. From below, Gandalf did a head count as each member dropped to the ground. Out of 15, only 11 of them were down with him safely, and he tried to figure out which ones were missing. He easily noticed the elf was not there, as did Bilbo. He worriedly looked up at the hole they entered, and hoped that any second now, the others would appear.

Kili, unaware of his company's safety, kept shooting at the orcs, and he had only noticed everyone was gone when Thorin called for him. After shooting another arrow, he glanced back and saw his uncle standing atop a rock. Fili was right behind it, motioning for him to run. Who he didn't expect to see was Min waiting right beside his brother yelling at him to stop shooting.

Darting towards them, Kili ran as fast as his legs could take him. Right at this moment, he cursed himself for being short and heavy. If there was a time in his life when he hated to be a dwarf, it was right now. Thorin, Fili and Min anxiously watched Kili literally run for his life, and Min couldn't help herself from holding onto Fili tightly when a warg almost caught Kili. As the wargs gained more speed, Min's heart started beating so fast her chest was about to explode, but it stopped beating completely when along the way, Kili managed to trip.

"Kili!" Fili screamed, his eyes wide with fear.

For Thorin, Fili and Min, it's like the world had stopped. They couldn't stop themselves from gasping so loud that the whole company heard it. They all shouted questions of what happened, but they were too stunned to even answer. The orcs circled around Kili, who was now frantically trying to get on his feet. Even if he was a skilled archer, he wouldn't be fast enough to shoot them all before any one of them got to him.

He pulled out his sword, ready to slice his way through them, when one of the orcs fell forward off his warg and landed in front of him. There was a knife stuck behind his head, and he looked up to see Min running towards them. Right behind her was Fili and Thorin, their swords ready in their hands. Smiling in relief, he swung his sword at one of the wargs before they could even think of attacking him. All four of them swung and sliced and cut any orc or warg that came at them, but their numbers never seemed to dwindle down.

When they had managed to kill a significantly large number of them and the next batch of orcs and wargs were still far from them, they took this opportunity to run to the hole Gandalf had found. Min, who ran much faster than them, decided to run behind the dwarves to make sure none of them were left behind. If the orcs were able to catch up with them, at least she could run away much faster than these three.

The first one to slide down was Fili, then Kili. Thorin was next, and once Min had placed her hands on the rock to jump over it, she felt a pang of pain below her left shoulder. She doubled over on the rock, her upper body visible to the dwarves below. She yelped in pain as her whole body started to grow weak. Her legs gave out and she knelt to the ground, the rock now being her only source of stability.

It took her a moment to realize an arrow had pierced her back. It was only one more push off the ground to fall into the hole, but her whole body just lay limply on the rock below her. She had been hit by an arrow before, right on her thigh during her archery training, but this particular arrow felt different. It weakened her instantly, and it took her a lot of energy to just steady her legs. Seeing Fili and Kili screaming at her to jump in, she weakly pushed herself off the ground and clawed her way into the hole. She managed to slide in, albeit painfully, but not without another arrow flying into her lower back, and an orc slicing at her right leg.

She slid in, face first, and the company backed away to give her some room to land. The groan that escaped her lips echoed around the cave, and the first one to her side was Kili.

"You still calling me a coward?" Min slurred jestingly, her eyelids heavy and her whole body aching.

"Are you insane?!" Kili yelled at her while inspecting the arrows on her back. "You didn't have to prove anything to me. You could've been killed back there!"

Min was unable to move her face because it took too much energy, but if she could have, she would've sent Kili the scariest glare only her enemies have witnessed. "Is this really the thanks I get for saving you?"

Kili felt guilty now, but that still didn't stop him from being mad at her. "You are such an idiot."

"Damn it, Kili. Just help me up before I bite your hand," Min hissed, slowly pushing herself up.

Kili did what he was told, putting one of her arms around his neck and placing a hand on her waist. Min tried to get on her feet, but after putting pressure on her right leg, she dropped to the ground in pain and Kili finally noticed the cut on her right thigh. He grimaced at the sight of it, and when he felt the weight of her body on her shoulders, he scowled at the company, who were just watching them like spectators, and looked at them expectantly.

"Are you just going to stand there?" he roared at them. Oin and Fili jerked at the sound of Kili's voice and quickly ran to her aid. Oin ripped a part of his tunic and wrapped it around her leg to stop it from bleeding while Fili placed her other arm around his neck and helped her up.

While helping her get to her feet, they heard screeching and horns blowing above them, then all of a sudden, an orc came rolling down the rock and landed in front of the company. Before the orc could land on them, Fili, Kili and Oin were able to move Min out of the way, but not without a round of yelps and elvish curses. Thorin approached the orc and pulled the arrow out from its head.

"Elves," he snarled. He threw the arrow on the ground and turned to his company. Dwalin had walked ahead of them and inspected the only path they could take. He could not see where it headed, but he was unsure if they should continue.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?" he asked the company.

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur answered, following behind Dwalin.

"Yes, that would be wise," Gandalf murmured, giving Thorin a sullen look.

"Wait!" Oin cried, dropping Min's legs gently to the ground. "We must remove her arrows first."

Thorin growled inaudibly. "Fine, but make it quick."

Oin was not one to rush his patients, but with Thorin burning a hole at through his head, he quickly made his way towards Min's back and wrapped his hands around an arrow.

"Wait, shouldn't we warn her first?" Kili asked worriedly, looking down at Min's unconscious face.

"No time, lad," Oin grunted as he forced the arrow at of her back.

Fili and Kili both felt her fingers digging through their cloaks as she screamed out in pain. Everyone—who had free hands, that is—covered their ears as the scream temporarily rendered them deaf. Without a second warning, Oin pulled out the other one, earning the company another deafening yelp. This time, the force of her arms brought Fili and Kili to their knees, and she panted heavily as the pain spread throughout her body.

Kili grunted as he forced himself onto his feet, but as he pulled on her arm around him for support, Min moaned and whimpered as another wave of pain shook her body.

"Kili, let go of my arm!" Min growled at him. Instinctively, Kili pushed it off his shoulders and looked for any damage the orcs might have done. The cut on her arm was definitely caused by the orcs, but this one wasn't new. Kili apologized furiously as he realized the cut on her forearm opened. Blood seeped through the bandage, and he feverishly searched his body for something to wrap it up and stop the bleeding.

Thorin's patience was wearing thin and he was tired of entertaining his nephew's pleas. He was grateful that she risked her life to save his kin, and he genuinely wanted her wounds to be treated, but this took up more time for his liking. He didn't know if there were more orcs looking for them, but he didn't want to stick around to find out.

"Kili, hurry. We have to move," Thorin's deep voice echoed. Kili looked up at his uncle helplessly. Seeing the impatient look on Thorin's face made Kili nervous, but he couldn't let his uncle wait. Thorin hated waiting, and he would not be generous with his patience at his particular situation. As Fili held on to her upper body, Kili gripped her legs and they carried her unconscious body behind the rest of the company.

The path they took was narrow, and some dwarves had a hard time passing through. Fili and Kili certainly had the hardest time hauling Min's body without her hitting her heard or scraping her arms along the cliffs. They did not anticipate the path to be very long, and it felt like it stretched on to the end of time. Some of the dwarves never realized they were claustrophobic until now, and they were just itching to breathe regularly again.

"There's light up ahead," Dwalin announced to the company, moving faster this time. The company matched his pace, and soon enough, they had reached the end of the pathway. All dwarves sighed in relief as they inhaled the smell of the air. They stood on a cascade overlooking a valley, and the sight before them was undeniably breathtaking.

"The Valley of Imraldis," Gandalf informed them. "In the common tongue, it is known by another name."

"Rivendell," Bilbo spoke breathlessly. He gawked at the scene before him, and he blinked rapidly to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He had a hard time believing this place was real, and the light that the elven outpost emitted mesmerized him. The dwarves, however, looked around with uneasy looks on their faces. Even if they had befriended an elf, that didn't mean they started trusting all of them.

"This was your plan all along," Thorin hissed at Gandalf accusingly. "To seek refuge with our enemy."

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf countered with the same dark look Thorin gave him. "The only ill will to be found in this valley is that which you bring of yourself."

Thorin glared at Gandalf's words. "Do you think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us."

As the company continued down the steps to Rivendell, Gandalf followed, leaving Thorin behind him. "Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me."

They continued down the path until it led to a bridge. They walked across it, looking around with mixed emotions. Bilbo was just in awe at the sight of the place. He hadn't imagined a place as grand and as elegant as this and he was happy they had stumbled upon. Reaching the entrance, the other dwarves felt the same, yet at the same time, the thought that this was an elven outpost never slipped their minds and hindered them to admire the beauty of the place.

As they approached the entrance, a dark-haired elf, standing tall and poised, walked down a flight of stairs and greeted their guests.

"Mithrandir," he grinned as Gandalf walked ahead of the company.

"Ah, Lindir," he greeted back with a smile. The dwarves behind him began whispering phrases in Khuzdul, but tuned out their voices instead.

"Lastannem i athrannedh i Vruinen," Lindir spoke, the unfamiliar language making the dwarves more uneasy.

"I must speak with Lord Elrond," Gandalf said gravely.

"My Lord Elrond is not here."

Perplexed, Gandalf furrowed his eyebrows. "Not here? Where is he?"

Suddenly, elvish horns blared throughout the valley. Alert and prepared, Thorin cried out something in Khuzdul, then all the dwarves drew out their weapons and huddled tightly into a circle. They pulled Bilbo back with them, dragging him into the center along with Fili and Kili, who now had tight grips on Min. A group of armed horsemen arrived and circled the dwarves, causing them to point their weapons outwardly at the elves. One elf in particular broke the circle and separated from the rest of them.

"Gandalf," Elrond grinned. Gandalf bowed before him and started conversing with him in elvish.

The dwarves held their ground as Lord Elrond jumped off his horse and approached his old friend. They hugged briefly and started speaking in a language everyone present could understand.

"Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something, or someone, has drawn them near," he said, making Gandalf grin sheepishly.

"Ah, that may have been us," Gandalf said, pointing to the group of dwarves behind him. Elrond's eyes landed on them, and as Thorin stepped forward, Elrond looked down at him with recognition.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain," he greeted him, but Thorin responded with a hard look.

"I do not believe we have met," Thorin scowled.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled over the mountain," Elrond explained.

"Indeed. He made no mention of you," Thorin replied rudely. Gandalf cringed upon hearing Thorin's words. He was absolutely mortified, but they were lucky Elrond chose to ignore Thorin's insult and look at the rest of the company. Upon seeing the lifeless body being carried by two dwarves, Elrond's face fell when he recognized who it was.

"Unfortunately, Miniel suffered at the hands of the orcs," Gandalf chimed in, standing by Elrond's side.

"Why is she not traveling with Silvan elves?" Elrond whispered to Gandalf, so as to not offend the company.

"That, I am not sure of, but we discovered her in the Great East Road being attacked by orcs," Gandalf informed the High Elf. "They do not know of her lineage or her power. I think it is best of they do not find out."

Downcast, Elrond nodded at Gandalf's request and turned to the company. He spoke to them in Elvish, earning him a lot of confused and angered looks. One dwarf in particular decided to speak up about it.

"What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?" Gloin barked at the tall elf. The company grew more aggressive as they huddled closer to each other.

Gandalf silently chuckled at their hostility and spoke to ease their minds. "No, master Gloin, he is offering you food."

The dwarves, now feeling a little silly, turned towards themselves and discussed their next move amongst themselves. Thorin stayed outside of their circle and scowled at the elf lord in front of him. He may have shown them kindness, but he was not raised a fool. When the dwarves were finished, they turned back to Lord Elrond and Gloin nodded at him.

"Ah, well, in that case, lead on."

With a toothless smile, Elrond led them up the steps and into Rivendell, but not without ordering the other elves to take Min to the healing house. An elf approached Fili and Kili, and while Fili was hesitant at first, the sight of Min's injured body forced him to give her up. Kili, on the other hand, wasn't thrilled by that idea at all. Sensing the hostility in his brother, Fili discreetly nudged him.

"Do not worry. She will be healed in time for supper," the elf assured him.

Kili's stubbornness needed more coaxing, but Fili knew the right look to force his brother into anything. With a firm glare fixed on Fili's face, he turned to his brother."Kili."

The stern voice of his brother caught his attention, but his scowl never left the elf. Noticing the bloodstain on Min's bandage increasing in size, Kili reluctantly nodded and handed Min over the same time Fili did. As the elf walked away with Min in his arms, Fili dragged Kili along with him to join the other dwarves.


	14. Chapter 14

While Miniel was brought to the healing house, the dwarves and the hobbit were led to their rooms. Bilbo was grateful for his, but the dwarves did not seem to like the idea of separating in the land of elves. After they had dropped Bilbo off to his room, Balin thankfully declined all the other rooms and asked if there was a courtyard available for them to camp at instead. Lindir, who was both shocked by this request, nodded at the elder dwarf and let the company to a courtyard near a fountain. Seeing as they did not have equipment or supplies with them, Lindir ordered a few elf maidens to fetch them some bedrolls and blankets, as well as some pillows for a more comfort.

The dwarves were very much grateful for the elves' hospitality, but the look and smell of the place irked them. The beauty of Rivendell was tinted by the fact that elves inhabited the place, and the dwarves had a hard time appreciating it more. After their bedrolls were brought to them, most dwarves opted to take a nap first before supper while some of them decided to venture around Rivendell.

Among those dwarves were Fili and Kili, who were actually quite amazed by the structure of this place. Absent-mindedly, they wandered around the halls of Rivendell, not paying attention to where they were going or how they were going to get back. When they stopped in front of another fountain, much larger than the one they were camping at, Fili and Kili decided to take a breather and rest for a while. To Kili, it was just your ordinary sibling bonding time, but to Fili, it was his chance to ambush Kili with questions the company did not want to hear the answer to.

"I have noticed you've become very fond of Min," Fili said nonchalantly, dipping his hands into the fountain and washing the dirt and grit out of them.

Kili was thoroughly surprised by his brother's observation. Between the two of them, his brother had spent more time with Min, so he was confused as to how he came to this conclusion.

"Fond of her? For the past 12 hours, all this woman has done is make me want to pull all my hair out," Kili answered in bewilderment. He recalled the fight they had earlier this morning after Gandalf had saved them from the trolls. It seemed like it happened weeks ago, but her words were still fresh in his mind.

"Fine, she has anger management issues, but she's been nothing but a sweetheart to all of us," Fili countered, shaking the water off his hands.

"Ah, yes, taking two orc arrows for me. Such a sweetheart," Kili nodded sarcastically.

Fili rolled his eyes at his brother's hostile attitude. "You should be thankful, Kili. She refused to go down that hole without you."

Kili scoffed. "That's what she should've done."

"Why are you being so stubborn?" Fili snapped at him. "Min, who, by the way, was still traumatized by her attack, risked her life for you, and this is how you repay her?"

"Look, I appreciate what she did. I really do, but I don't want her risking her life for me. If anything, I should've been the last one to jump in and-and—"

Fili smiled at his stammering brother. A week ago, he hated the idea of his brother falling for an elf, but now seeing how flustered and bothered he gets when talking about her, he could sense the first signs of attraction blossoming in Kili's eyes.

"You like her," Fili concluded, making Kili stop mid-rant.

"Yes, of course I like her. Don't you?" Kili shot back a little defensively, but the tone of his voice was enough for him to prove his suspicions.

"Not like that, brother," Fili chuckled. Kili was confused, but his eyes went wide when he figured out what his brother had meant. His cheeks started reddening and he shot up from his seat in front of his brother.

"No, I don't like her romantically, if that's what you're implying," Kili clarified, his voice wavering a bit.

Fili knew better than to believe his brothers words, but prying would only make his brother look like the biggest fool on the planet and he wanted the rest of the dwarves to see that, sans Thorin, of course.

"Alright, you don't like her romantically, _but_ I know you think she's attractive," Fili said, raising his eyebrows at him suggestively.

"_No_," Kili answered too fast, causing his cheeks to turn red even more.

"Very attractive then?" Fili prodded too fast, resulting in Kili saying yes. Kili was unaware of what he had said, and he just wanted the ground to engulf him as Fili smirked at his little brother.

"Fine, she's attractive, but all elf maidens are," Kili stated, just as two elf maidens strolled past him.

The bashful smiles they flashed him clearly told them they had heard him, and Kili groaned in frustration as his whole face and neck turned a dark shade of red. To make matters worse, his older brother chortled so loud you could hear it from the other side of Rivendell. Kili scowled at him, and without thinking, he pushed his brother into the fountain and stormed off, feeling painstakingly embarrassed. Fili took this push good-naturedly and followed behind his brother, trying desperately to stifle his laughs every time Kili would shyly nod at a passing elf maiden.

While the dwarves were having their fun, Bilbo decided to pay their friend a visit at the healing house. When he arrived, he saw it was empty, except for one elf that was tidying up a used bed. He informed the hobbit that Miniel was moved to a different room and escorted Bilbo there. Arriving at the room, Bilbo thanked the elf and gently knocked on the door, hoping she was awake. Luckily, she was, and he heard a very faint voice telling him to come in. Carefully pushing the door and peeping into the dimly lit room, Bilbo entered and happily strode towards his elven friend.

He was glad to see her well rested and healed, and she looked way better now than when they found her in the forests Great East Road. The cut on her neck from a week ago was now gone, and her face seemed to look fuller than they did before. Whatever the elves had done, they certainly gave more life to her face.

Min sat up as Bilbo approached her and excitedly patted a spot on the bed for him to sit on.

"Well, aren't you cheerful for someone who's survived two orc attacks in one week," Bilbo quipped, taking a seat on the bed.

Min playfully rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not as weak as I seem. And besides, there's so many things to be happy about, like our safety."

"That is true," Bilbo nodded in agreement. His eyes left her for a moment to admire the architecture of the room, and once they met her eyes again, he smiled proudly at her. "That was a very brave thing you did today."

Min beamed at the little hobbit and folded her hands on her lap. "I really didn't know I had it in me."

"You are not obliged to protect the company, but I thank you for risking your life for us."

"Well, that makes one of you," Min joked, but momentarily pouted at the memory of Kili yelling at her for being an idiot. She pushed that memory at the back of her mind and focused on the hobbit in front of her. "Besides, I couldn't let those blasted orcs take my friends again."

Bilbo smiled at her sentiments, but his eyebrows knitted in confusion as he let her words sink in. Recalling the night of her attack, Bilbo didn't remember ever seeing her with anyone, and when they had arrived to Kili's aid, all the orcs around them were dead. His head jerked back then cocked to one side. "Again?"

Min's smile fell as she saw the puzzled look on the hobbit's face. Even she was confused for a moment, but then she realized what she had done: she had revealed the existence of her company, and knowing how curious this hobbit it, she won't be able to dodge any of his questions.

Sighing resignedly, she started fiddling with her fingers. "Before arriving in the Great East Road, I was travelling with a company of elves."

"What happened?"

Min let out a breathless sneer as she tried her best to hold back any tears that threatened to fall. "I still remember it so vividly, that peaceful afternoon we had. The company I was with was actually very boring, if you ask me, but after living in a sick forest for all my life, I was too busy enjoying the nature around me."

"I was feeding my horse when we heard them, the orcs. At first, I was petrified. I didn't really anticipate any possible dangers that could threaten the company, but the orcs were there, and they had us by the numbers. Before I could even really help the other elves kill them, I was pushed into a bush and told to hide. I wanted to help them, I really did, Bilbo."

The helplessness in her voice broke Bilbo's heart. He remembered the night he found her standing in front of the destroyed farmer's house. He will never know what it feels like to stand by and watch his loved ones suffer, but he hoped he never had to. In the case of his friend, all he could do now was hold her hand and offer his sympathies.

"They were doing so well, when I watched them. Any orc that tried to strike was immediately brought down with an arrow, and when I thought the coast was clear, another orc arrived. This one was larger than the rest of them, and without much effort, he slaughtered my company right in front of me. I had to sit there and watch him kill my kin, Bilbo.

"I want to say I was lucky enough to get away, but these elves…No one asked them if they were willing to risk their lives for me. They just did, and I will be eternally grateful for their heroic deeds, but their screams will always haunt my conscience. When the orcs had found us again, I knew it was my fault. I knew I led them to you, and I couldn't stand to watch them take Kili from all of you because I didn't want you to experience what I had to go through."

Min's grip tightened around Bilbo's hand as the thought of Kili dying at the hands of the orcs. She couldn't imagine the heartbreak Fili and Thorin would've endured, and she was willing to sacrifice herself just so they would've have to go through all the pain that burdened her shoulders.

"How come you've never told us this?" Bilbo asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"How can I tell you this, Bilbo? I'm already trying my best not to bawl my eyes out in front of you," Min hissed, letting go of Bilbo's hand and wrapping them around herself.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Bilbo felt a little stupid. She wasn't obliged to tell them this if she didn't want to, and now he was at loss for words. They remained silent for what seemed like hours, but Bilbo just couldn't find the right words to comfort her, even for just a moment. He knew no amount of encouraging words would be enough to help her forget this traumatic experience.

While both of them were quietly contemplating their thoughts, they heard a faint knock coming from the door. Min allowed the visitor permission to enter, and an elf emerged from behind the door to tell them that supper was ready. Min thanked him and allowed him to continue on with his duties. Once the elf had left, they sat there in silence again, but this time, Min didn't want to stick around and wait forever for Bilbo to say something.

She pushed the covers off her body, revealing the dress the elves had put her in prior to her room change, and swung her legs over the edge. She made sure not to hit the hobbit as she did so, and stood up to make her way to the door. Bilbo, who had finally snapped out of his thoughts, hopped off the bed and followed Min out the door.

Wordlessly, they walked to the courtyard where supper was to be held. Bilbo couldn't take the silence between them. He didn't mean to offend her, if that's what she was feeling. Just as they approached the courtyard, Bilbo held Min's hand to stop her.

"Min, if you have any ill feelings towards me, I sincerely apologize for what I've done," Bilbo started, and he was going to continue until Min giggled at the hobbit's panicked look.

"I feel nothing of the sort, Mr. Baggins," Min smiled playfully.

Bilbo let out a breath of relief and relaxed his shoulders. "Well, I'm glad then."

"Great," Min said, standing behind Bilbo and pushing him towards the courtyard. Bilbo laughed at her antics, but turned around to face her again.

"Wait, Min, I have to say something."

"What is it, my dear hobbit?" Min urged, getting down on her knees to be at the same level as the hobbit. She sat on her heels and waited patiently for what Bilbo had wanted to say.

"Look, I'm sorry for bringing your company up. I'm sure they were wonderful people and they had fulfilled their duties to the best of their abilities, but I hope you don't let their deaths affect you negatively."

Min grinned warmly at the hobbit's concern and took his hands in hers. Sensing he was not finished, she nodded at him to continue and Bilbo so gladly did.

"In a short amount of time, I have seen you do great things, and that's only because I know you never let fear hold you back, no matter how many traumatic experiences you go through," Bilbo attested.

Min squeezed Bilbo's hands and he smiled at him gratefully. "What's caused these words, Bilbo?"

Bilbo smirked and let go of her hands. He placed his on his shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. "The frightened, anxious girl I met a week ago is nothing compared to the girl that had the audacity to make jokes with orc arrows stuck in her back. I don't know which one you truly are, but I don't want you to loose that cheerful glow your face has now."

Touched by his words, Min lifted herself on her knees and engulfed Bilbo into a hug. He thanked him profusely and wished she never had to leave him. She wanted to take him with her to Valinor, but she didn't have it in her heart to be selfish. His company needed him, and she was going to take him away from them just because wanted a trusty companion along with her.

After their little sentimental moment, they continued onto the courtyard. The rest of the company was there, along with Lord Elrond. At a higher table, Gandalf and Elrond were seated with Thorin and Balin, while the other elves sat at a lower table. As she walked down a flight of stairs with Bilbo, all eyes darted towards her, but only a few of them stayed. Among the few was Kili, who gawked at her in awe upon seeing her healed form.

Kili did not know what sort of elvish magic that charmed this place, but it seemed like everything was more illuminated than before, Min especially. She looked healthier now compared to when he first saw her, all bruised and injured from escaping the orcs. Her silvery blond hair shone in the light the sun casted down on them, and it added to the glow that emanated from her body.

What really made Kili's heart flutter was the radiant smile on her face. It could light up the whole room, and he wished he could be stuck in this moment forever. Seeing her looking more like a lady seemed like a rare beauty for him, and he was desperate to find away to capture this moment before it got lost in time. As Min and Bilbo walked closer to them, his eyes met with her sparkling ones momentarily, and the eye contact propelled Kili to stand up. Min, who was still offended by Kili's lack of gratitude, giggled at his sudden action and nodded at him to sit down again.

Kili didn't understand her gesture, but when she walked passed him and sat down with Bilbo on the other table, his face contorted into what seemed to look like rejection and embarrassment. To save himself from more humiliation, Fili tugged at Kili's pants and told him to sit down, which he unwillingly did.

"Aww, brother," Fili quipped, patting him on the back. "I thought you didn't like her romantically."

"I don't," Kili retorted sullenly.

Fili and the other dwarves within earshot smirked at the youngest member of their company. While company continued to complain about the lack of meat, Kili lowered his head and poked at his food as he sulked on his seat.

Min was oblivious to all the commotion that was happening at the other table when Lord Elrond greeted her with open arms.

"Miniel," he smiled. "I'm so glad you've finally arrived. I was expecting you days ago."

Min grinned sheepishly and accepted his embrace. "I encountered an unfortunate accident and I think it's best of we discuss it later."

Elrond nodded and pulled out the empty seat beside him. Upon taking a seat, he noticed the livid look Thorin was giving her.

"Do you wish to say something, your highness?" she asked with a bit of an edge in her voice. Thorin glowered at the title she gave him, and wanted to rip that poised look on her face.

"I thought you have not been to Rivendell," Thorin accused, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"I haven't," Min confirmed, "but that does not mean my Lord Elrond has not traveled to Mirkwood."

Thorin's eyes averted to elf Lord, and Elrond nodded with affirmation. "Her father did not allow her travel until now, and I am happy she has ended up in capable hands."

"Mmm," Thorin murmured as he took a drink of wine from his chalice. His steady gaze did not leave Miniel for one second, and he took notice of the uneasy look he gave Elrond. It seemed she was not comfortable at the mention of her father, and Thorin was genuinely curious as to why, and especially who her father was.

"Why the visit then?" Thorin asked Min, whose suspicious eyes darted towards him.

"I have certain elven matters to attend to here," Min answered, her voice cautious and low.

"I thought you were visiting a friend," Thorin countered, a small smirk gracing his lips.

"I am," Min retorted, her turn to glare at him. She had almost fidgeted after realizing her mistake of forgetting one of her lies. But then she remembered she wasn't technically lying. She was only letting them believe she had no important business here, but Thorin was a tough one to fool.

Her retort did not follow any explanation, but it was enough for Thorin to know there was more than meets the eye. He wasn't happy about her scheme to trick his company, which gave him all the more reason to be happy she was finally going leave them. Under Thorin's scrutinizing gaze, Min sat uncomfortably and avoided him particularly. She tried to join in on whatever the conversation was, but as Thorin bore a hole into her face, Min got up, still looking poised as ever, and excused herself from the 'adult' table. Thorin was surprised to see her leave, but was still relieved because the tension was too much for him to bear as well.

Min opted to walk around Rivendell for a while to calm herself. If there's one thing she wouldn't miss, it's Thorin's suspicious looks and rude comments. How he managed to act civilized in the realm of the elves, she didn't know, but she couldn't wait to never see his face again. As she walked passed the dwarves' table, Fili noticed the stiff look on her face and sensed things did not go well in the other table.

"Hey, Min!" he called out to get her attention. All the dwarves turned to where Fili was looking, and saw the elf looking at them, both surprised and agitated. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy," she answered back sarcastically. The dwarves snickered at her temperamental state, and Fili knew there was only one way for her to loosen up: dine with the dwarves. The right ones, at least.

"Come join us," Fili urged, motioning for Dwalin and Oin to make room for her. Fili really wanted her to join them, but at the same time, he wanted Kili to unleash the fool in him yet again in front of their friends. As he expected, Kili turned to him with an irritated look on his face, but he couldn't ask his older brother why he loved to torture him without causing a misunderstanding between the other dwarves. Unfortunately for Kili, there was _no_ misunderstanding.

Min did not hesitate to accept Fili's invitation to eat with them. As gracefully as she could, she lowered herself between Dwalin and Oin, who grinned as the smell of daisies wafted into their noses.

"Hello," she greeted to all of them, but made sure not to make eye contact with Kili. "Enjoying the food?"

"You call this food?" Dwalin growled as he held up a piece of lettuce in front of her.

Min chuckled under her breath and took the leaf from him. "It's not my place to say this but I apologize for the meal. They think all creatures eat greens."

Taking a bite out of the lettuce just to spite the dwarves, Min smirked as each of them had something nasty to say about the bowls in front of them. Her favorite one was Ori's quip about chips, and even she had to admit she was craving for some. Everyone had his own opinion about the food except for Kili. She was surprised by his shy demeanor; for the past week, he had no problem boasting about his "unusual good looks" and "flawless archery skills". The sudden change in his attitude was strange for her, and at first she thought it was because of her, but seeing his eyes directly looking _behind_ her, Min took a quick glance over her shoulder and noticed the elf maiden playing the harp. She smiled at him as she plucked the strings of her harp.

Min turned back to his shy friend with a slightly irritated pout on her face and she spotted their other companions looking confused by Kili's actions. He was oblivious to all of their watching eyes and paid no attention to them. They came to this conclusion when all of a sudden, he winked at the elf maiden and smiled at her. The dwarves all rolled their eyes and gawked at Kili, unimpressed by his flirting. Min, however, gripped a nearby chalice so tightly she felt like she had molded her handprint onto it. She took a sip of wine, not really caring who the chalice belonged to and inwardly growled. She didn't know what made her so angry, but she just wanted to smack the unknowing smile off of Kili's face.

Kili's happiness was short lived with he glanced back at the company and Dwalin's deadpan expression greeted him. Beside him, Min sat there furiously as she hid her face behind a chalice. He knew he was caught in the act, and he had to get himself out of trouble somehow.

"I can't say I fancy elf maids myself," Kili piped up, reaching into a bowl absent-mindedly and continued on with his rant. "Too thin."

Min still listened, and though she didn't like to call herself an elf maiden, she hung onto every word Kili said with a vengeance.

"They're all high cheekbones and creamy skin. Not enough facial hair for me," Kili went on, ignorant of the seething elf maid sitting right in front of him. Min couldn't help but feel offended by Kili's words, and she wanted to just shove the chalice into his mouth so he'd shut up.

"Although, that one there's not bad," Kili pointed out, glancing to his left at the elf that stood beside him. Min was afraid to look, partly because she didn't want this elf maiden to be prettier than her. She didn't know where this childish feeling came from, but she wanted it to go away so badly. She took a quick glance at the particular elf that had caught Kili's attention, and before she could shoot imaginary daggers at her, she noticed one vital piece of information that would turn the tables on Kili.

As revenge, she wanted to be the one to point it out to him before anyone else beat her to it. "That's not an elf maid," she said with as much sass as she could muster.

As the elf turned around and faced the company, Kili's face fell even lower when he realized what Min had meant, and he turned to her with a deer-in-headlights look. To make matters worse, Dwalin mockingly winked at him, sending the whole company into a fit of laughter.

"That's funny," Kili deadpanned, ducking his head as low as possible.

Min joined along as the table erupted into more laughter at Kili's priceless reaction. She was happy she had gotten some sort of revenge for what he said, but that didn't mean she was not mad at him. He still didn't thank her for saving his life, and after his tirade implied how elves were 'too perfect', it was going to take more than sorry to forgive him.

Unfortunately for her, her little triumphant celebration was cut short when Gandalf stood behind her and nudged her back with his staff.

"Would it be alright if I borrow Miniel for a moment?" Gandalf asked the company. They all mumbled their yeses as Min got up from her seat and stepped out of the circle.

"What's the matter, Gandalf?" she asked a little cheerfully, unaware of the urgency in his actions.

"You and I will speak to your Lord Elrond," he whispered to her, but made sure not to reveal to the dwarves his grave expression.

Min nodded and walked ahead of Gandalf, who made a last minute remark about Kili's 'friendliness' towards the elves. He left with another round of laughter piercing the ears of the elves and a momentary smile graced his face.


	15. Chapter 15

With the sounds of the dwarves' laughter growing distant, Gandalf led Miniel to a room where Elrond had been waiting. She was not even aware of when Lord Elrond left the courtyard, but she had been anticipating this talk for quite some time now. She needed her answers and she knew this was the appropriate time Gandalf had told her about.

Upon entering the large hall, Min first noticed the tall bookshelves lining each wall, and then spotted Lord Elrond standing in the center, his back to them. He had his hands behind his back and he stood tall, as all elves did, the sunset cast a golden glow in his hair. Sensing them enter into the hall, Elrond turned around and smiled at Miniel, ushering the two of them a nearby table. They all took a seat and faced each other, with a moment of silence briefly floating around the three.

"Miniel, I know you have questions—" Elrond began, but only to be interrupted by Min.

"Lots of them, actually." The edge in her voice made Gandalf and Elrond uneasy. They were afraid of her suddenly bursting into a rant they wouldn't be able to stop. What's more, they were afraid of her accusing them of being the bad guys in the situation, even if all they wanted was to do what's best for her.

"We will answer those questions, my dear, but you must first answer ours," Gandalf propositioned.

Min nodded in agreement and folded her hands on the table. "Fair enough."

Gandalf and Elrond glanced at each other momentarily before they started their interrogation. Min sat there, comfortably actually, and waited patiently for their questions. For the entire week, she had to be cautious around the company, and now she was happy she could speak and act freely without anyone stopping her.

"How did you end up in the Great East Road?" Elrond asked. This was the first question that popped into his mind and it haunted him ever since they arrived in Rivendell. He had suspected something terrible had happened to her own company, and after Min narrated the orc raid, his suspicions were proven to be true. He offered his sympathies, but there was nothing he could do now but send word to her father about his fallen soldiers.

"The orcs followed me to the Great East Road, and that's where the dwarves found me," Min continued. "I had no idea there were more of them, so I guess that's how they found us near the troll hoard."

Gandalf's brooding stare had suddenly made Min rather uncomfortable, and she wished the old man would just get on with what he wanted to say.

"You have led Azog to Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf concluded unconsciously. He did not mean to say this out loud; he didn't want her to feel anymore burdened than she did before. Unfortunately, the damage was already made, and the guilt in Min's eyes would haunt Gandalf until he found a way to assure her she was not to blame.

"Great, I get my company massacred and now I led the orcs to the dwarves. Is there a bad luck cloud hovering over me as we speak?" Min said dryly as she rubbed her temples with her fingers. Her heart could not take any more guilt, and she was afraid this guilt would never leave her even if she arrived in Valinor.

"Miniel, do not be so hard on yourself," Elrond advised. "This is not bad luck. Things happen for a reason, whether they are good or bad. You are not to blame for anything."

Min just nodded even if Elrond's words did not assure her one bit. "Alright, next question."

"Min." She was surprised when Gandalf called her by her nickname. He had always preferred her whole name, and if Min was not mistaken, this was the first time he ever said her name that was laced with some kind of relatable emotion. Sadly, that emotion was rather urgent and gloomy. "I know I have already warned you not to reveal anything to the company, but you must be honest with me, have you said anything to any of the them?"

The pointed look on his face implied he was talking about two certain dwarves. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was the two dwarf princes, and she was a bit insulted by the fact Gandalf did not trust he completely with her own secret.

"No, I haven't," she answered. "I told Bilbo about my company by accident, but since I'm already here, I don't see why that's relevant anymore."

Gandalf was still worried; he couldn't figure out why. Min was right after all. After she leaves for Valinor, the dwarves would never see her again. It didn't really matter now if they found out about her power and her true identity, but he still didn't want them to know. Somewhere, deep down, he had a feeling Miniel would not easily get on the boat to Valinor, and he just hoped she would still make the decision to do so.

"Alright, then. You may ask us your questions now," Elrond said, breaking Gandalf out of his trance.

Min racked her brain for the most important question she needed to ask, but the words ended up jumbling in her mind and it took her a while to form a coherent sentence. She ended up not caring which question she asked first. All that mattered now was she got her answers.

"Back at the clearing, where we saw the broken house, I could hear voices," Min narrated as she built up to her question. "They were screams actually. I asked Bilbo if he could hear them, but he couldn't, and it seemed like I was the only one who could. Why is that?"

"You can sense the spirits of the dead, Miniel," Gandalf confirmed for her. "Where there was death, you will hear how it happened, but your mind will never be able to piece together an actually image of the event."

"That is why we immediately moved you to a different room after your wounds were treated," Elrond added. "The sounds of death were disturbing your slumber, and you needed to rest in order to restore your strength."

It all made sense to her now. She even remembered the troll hoard, and the sounds of elves screaming for their lives. Again, she didn't consider this as a gift, but as a curse. It seemed like death continued to plague her whole being and she didn't have to the energy to launch into a lengthy outburst about how unlucky she was. As she processed this newfound information, she tried to think back at the times she heard voices in her head. If her powers came in when she was around 50, she would be able to remember them by then. It occurred to her that maybe the voices she heard in Mirkwood were not tricks of the forest, yet there was one room in their kingdom that did not tested her power, even if it should have.

"Lord Elrond," Min began. "If I am able to sense death, how come I could not sense the spirit of my mother in the bedroom she shared with my father? That's where she gave birth to me, and I've been told that's where she died right after I was born."

Gandalf and Elrond glanced at each other again. Every time they did this, it gave Min a mini panic attack. It was like her whole life was a secret, and it annoyed her that everyone was conspiring to keep all these secrets from her. She did not understand the need to keep such information from her. It's not like she couldn't handle them. It offended her that they didn't trust her at all with anything. How she had not noticed this before escaped her mind, but now was not the time to think about it.

"Miniel, when your mother died, the pain was too much for your father to bear. He does not like to speak about it, but he loved her so much that sleeping in the same room she died in was unbearable. He changed the location of his room, so that is why you could not sense her," Elrond explained, his voice low and dejected.

"And even if he had not changed rooms, you would not be able to hear anything," Gandalf informed her.

Puzzled, her head cocked to the side. "Why not?"

"Your mother passed away silently."

This was the most information anyone has ever revealed to her about her mother's death. Neither her father nor her brother liked mentioning her in any conversation, so she only knew little about her death. But discovering that her mother had died a quiet, unexpected death shocked her. She had a deeper understanding now, of why her father was hesitant around her at times. Min was the living reminder of her mother's tragic passing, and she never let that get to her until now. It added to the burdens of her life, and she frustratingly wondered if the gods would stop giving her any more. She had unwittingly caused a lot of pain to so many people, and she didn't know how she was going to live with that in the peace and safety of Valinor.

"Why am I born this way?" she asked to no one in particular. It was more of a rhetorical question, but she so desperately wished someone had a reasonable answer to it. She wanted a rational explanation to her god-forsaken life. At least that way, she'd be able to sleep at night. In a span of a month, her carefree life had turned to her worst nightmare, and unfortunately, she couldn't wake up from it.

She expected uplifting advice from both Lord Elrond and Gandalf, given the fact that they always had something wise to say. But she did not expect the answer Gandalf gave her.

"Before you were born, your birth had been prophesized, " Gandalf explained, standing up and walking across the room. "It was said that Greenwood would be inhabited by a dark force so powerful and so sinister that one day it could rule over all of Middle-earth."

Gandalf walked over to a bookshelf pushed up against a wall and browsed it shelves briefly for a specific book that would aid him in his explanation. Upon finding it, he pulled it out and quickly scanned the pages as he walked back to the table. Once he had reached the table, he set the open book down in front of Miniel and continued on with his story.

"The Valar had suspected it had some connection to Morgoth, the First Dark Lord, and you were created specifically to discover the origins of this dark power."

Min stared down at the page in front of her, astonished to see a drawing of an elf illuminating a dark background. She studied its features: the long silvery hair, the piercing blue eyes, the white creamy skin—this was undoubtedly her, and she didn't know what to think about it. Gandalf's previous remark about her creation had distracted her from the book in front of her, and she looked up at him with another confused look on her face.

"The origins?" she questioned, but she was too speechless to continue.

"Yes," Gandalf confirmed, "but you were also given the power to look into the future, something to tempt it and come after you."

"Come after me?" Min repeated incredulously. "I was given this power so that a dark force could come after me? Well, isn't this all just fine and dandy."

"Miniel, there is one more thing you have to know," Elrond interjected. By this time, he had also gotten up and started pacing, intently listening to Gandalf's narration of her story.

"I don't know what would make my life any worse, but I think you have something in mind," Min deadpanned, turning to Lord Elrond expectantly.

He did not like the sarcasm she brought into the conversation. He thought it rude and impolite, but if this was her way to cope with her fate, he had to let this one slide.

"When you touch someone and see the sequence of his life, the Valar has their own way to see into your mind. They will be able to watch what you are watching, which is how they will know of the origins of this dark power. However, you will not be able to see the future of it, because the Valar themselves did not create it—"

"Wait, if I can't see its future, how are they sure I can see the origins? Like you said, they didn't create it. How are they sure my powers will work on it?"

"They don't," Gandalf intercepted, and that is the reason why your father does not want you in a realm where you will be easily captured. The Valar cannot ensure your safety. If you were to be captured and used by the dark force, you will have done your job and the Valar will not be able to find a way to save you from it."

"So I'm just a pawn, really?" Min clarified, but she didn't need the answer to that question. She was _obviously_ a pawn. Elrond and Gandalf nodded at her anyway, even if she did not notice. "If the Valar wants me to be caught, then why does my father want me in Valinor? Doesn't the Valar live there?"

"Since Greenwood had turned sick, the Valar speculated the dark power had resided in it, and they had to find a way to subtly get you in it. When they found the king and queen of the Woodland Realm were trying for a second child, this was their opportunity to bring you into the world. Unfortunately, what they did not foresee was your mother's death, and as an apology to your father, they gave him permission to do as he wishes with you. He had found out about the Valar's plan and did not like how it would end for you, so he pleaded for you to be given permission to enter Valinor and live there until this mysterious dark force is gone."

_My father? Pleading? _was the first thought that entered her mind. To say she was speechless would be an understatement. She couldn't even move, or breathe. It was unlike her father to get on his knees and plead, but the fact that her safety was an exemption to this made her feel guilty at a whole other level. Since day one of her question, all she could do was despise his guts and blame him for everything. But now knowing her fate—or what could be her fate—she wanted to go back home just to thank him. She had always assumed her father did not love her at all—not as much as he'd liked to show anyway. Now she knew just how wrong she was.

"What happens if I don't go to Valinor?" Min asked, struggling to get the words out. She closed the book in front of her and placed it on her lap. She still wanted to read what the prophecy said, but she decided now was not the time to do that.

"Then orcs will continue to hunt you," Gandalf answered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Min could not process all of this information at once. It was like she ran into a huge brick wall, and the impact of it was so tremendous that she would feel disoriented for days. Her father did not lie to her, that she appreciated, but it frustrated her how no one seemed keen on telling her this, ever. Now she knew what the dwarves must feel like when she told them misleading truths: foolishly unaware and blissfully ignorant. Although many would say her fate was unfortunate, she would still rather know all of this than know nothing at all. Now she could think rationally about what she wanted to do next, but it would take a while for her to decide on that.

"I know this is a lot to take in, Miniel," Elrond stated, interrupting the silence.

"I think that's enough for today," Min decided, her gaze focused on the book on her lap. She slowly pushed back her chair and got up without anyone gesturing at her to stay. She bowed at her elders respectfully and left the hall with her heart still heavy with guilt and regret and her mind now dazed and confused. As she walked the halls of Rivendell, she failed to pay attention to where she was going and she ended up in the most unlikely places. But this didn't seem to bother her since her mind was clearly elsewhere.

She still could not fathom the fact that her life had a purpose, and this purpose was rather menial and of little significance. To her, at least. She thought she was destined for something greater. Why else would the Valar go through all this trouble to conjure her up? She wanted to have a noble purpose, but it didn't have to be as ambitious as being the hero and saving the world. Whatever noble purpose she could think of, she thought it would be way better than her current one.

It angered her that she was given these powers just for the sake of locating a dark force and discovering its source. What even angered her more was this purpose may or not have any fruitful results, and the only way to find out is to give up her life and be taken by this unknown dark force. She did not feel like she had any good purpose to even be alive, and this angered and depressed her at the same time.

Aimlessly walking around Rivendell, she was now on a mission to locate her room so she could cry in peace. All her life, she had been waiting for this explanation—the reason why she was born different in the first place. She had expected a very humbling reason, not a tragic one, and there was no denying that she was rather disappointed about her fate.

As her mind continued to feed her negative thoughts, she couldn't stop her tears from falling like waterfalls on her cheeks. She had decided on stopping at a courtyard and hiding under the shadow of a tree that cast itself on a marble bench. She collapsed on it, dropping the book beside her, and she allowed herself to cry and sob until her eyes grew tired and weary from the day's events.


	16. Chapter 16

Birds chirped and the leaves rustled as dawn approached the elven outpost.

Feeling the morning breeze blow her hair and tickle her face, Miniel's body slowly awakened from its rather uncomfortable slumber. Her whole body ached as she stirred on her spot on the bench, and she realized she had turned the book into a makeshift pillow. The first thing she wanted to do was open her eyes, yet it was proving to be difficult considering how swollen they were. It was like they were glued shut, and she was somehow content to just stay there until they shrunk back to normal size when she heard the familiar heavy footsteps she had grown accustomed to.

"Did she sleep here?"

"Obviously, brother. She is still sleeping."

"Does she know she has a room?"

"Maybe she got lost. She said so herself, she's never been to Rivendell before."

"Should we carry her to her room?"

"Aye, I think we should."

Min plastered a toothless smile on her face as she recognized all of their voices. They still kept talking, which told her they were unaware of her waking presence. She took this as an opportunity to scare them half to death and remind them again that she will always sense their every move.

"There is no need to carry me," she mumbled, her eyes still closed and her position unchanging. As expected, all the dwarves cried in surprise at her voice and started murmuring curses and obscenities at her.

It was challenging, but she forced herself to open her eyes. It gave her quite a headache, but it was worth seeing the annoyed faces Bofur, Fili, Kili and Nori. She was even amused to see Bifur shaking his head at her antics. She slowly sat up on the bench and stretched her arms over her head.

"By the Valar, that was the worst sleep I have ever gotten in my life," she grunted.

"Tell us again, why are you sleeping on a bench outside?" Fili asked with a jokingly appalled look in his eyes.

"I got lost and tired and needed some sleep," she said casually, like this sort of thing happened all the time.

Every one of them chuckled at her response except for Kili. He noticed how puffy her eyes had gotten since they last saw each other, and he had a feeling she was more than just physically lost.

"I've never seen a lost elf before," Fili joked, earning him a shove from Min.

"You say that like you've seen a thousand of us," Min countered back good-naturedly.

"Oh, we have," Bofur said matter-of-factly, his nose scrunching up in disgust.

"For the past 24 hours," Nori added with his own horror-struck scowl. Bifur suddenly mumbled something that sounded unintelligible to Min, but she knew it was an unpleasant remark towards her own race.

She chuckled at their discomfort. "Have they not treated you well?"

"They have," Fili answered for all of them. "But that doesn't mean we like being around them."

"So you still don't like being around me?" Min pouted jestingly.

"Well, of course, you're the _only_ exception to that," Fili smiled, never missing a beat. Min was satisfied with this answer, but of course, Fili wouldn't be Fili if he didn't intentionally make matters more awkward. "Isn't that right, Kili?"

Min's eyes cut to the silent dwarf intently watching them with a frown. His frown disappeared when he realized all eyes were on him now, and he wasn't exactly sure why. Min breathlessly chuckled at Kili's unmindful attitude moved all her hair out of her face. She stood up, her back straight and her chin up, and moved towards the tree for an apple.

"For someone who went on and on about how elf maidens weren't good enough for you, you sure seem oddly quiet this morning, master dwarf," Min quipped, reaching her arms up and plucking the juicy red apple nearest to her.

Kili was surely taken aback by her words. He had forgotten she was present at their table when the incident happened, and he was surprised it escaped his mind to apologize to her. The other dwarves smirked at their youngest member and watched as all the blood rushed to Kili's face.

"And just yesterday you told me all elf maidens were attractive," Fili joined in, patting his brother on the back. "Make up your mind, little brother!"

This resulted in loud laughter coming from the dwarves. Min only turned back to them slightly to show Kili the smirk that was etched on her face. She caught a glimpse of his mortified, seething face, and his clenched hands told her he was just about ready to punch his older brother in the gut. She made eye contact with him for a second, and noticed the shy look he gave to the elf maiden yesterday. She didn't know if this was him trying to flirt with her, but she sensed that he had something to tell her, but not in front of anyone else.

"Alright, now if all of you are done joking around, I'd like to have a moment with Kili," Min announced to them, and, as if to tell her they weren't done messing with him, they all whooped and cheered for Kili, making jokes about not messing 'this' up and that 'this' was his chance. Bifur even clasped Kili on the shoulders from behind and gave him suggestive eyebrow raises, causing Min to playfully roll her eyes at them. All four dwarves walked up the steps and continued on with their stroll as Min took a seat on the bench and began munching on her apple.

Min avoided Kili's gaze as he started walking around her and admiring the flowers in the courtyard. Min didn't need to say anything for Kili to know why she sent the others away. He knew she expected a lot from him, and if she did not initiate this conversation, he was sure it would never happen. Apologies were never really Kili's strong point. He admitted, he was a prideful dwarf, but he also knew when certain situations called for an apology, just like this one.

He plucked a daisy out of a bush and twirled it in his hands, remembering how enthralling her scent was when she sat at their table yesterday. The memory was unfortunately a bad one for Kili, but he recalled how distracted he became when the scent entered his nose and it was absolutely the sweetest thing he had smelled in his life. He took more of them and walked over to the bench where Min was peacefully enjoying her apple, almost finishing half of it. He removed the book sitting beside her and placed it on the ground carefully once he saw the alarmed expression she gave him when he picked it up. He sat across from her, folding his legs beneath him and placing the little bouquet of daisies between his legs.

"May I?" Embarrassingly, Kili forgot to wait for her answer, but when he reached for the clasp in her hair, she didn't seem to object. She even faced her back to him so he'd have easier access to her hair, but even with the easier access, Kili still had a hard time reaching for the clasp while sitting down, so he was forced to get on his feet and stand behind her.

Hearing the grunts coming from Kili, she giggled as she reached out behind her and expected for the clasp to be placed in her hand. Feeling the light weight of it in her hand, she retracted her arm and proceeded to play with the clasp. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes when she felt Kili's rough hands combing through her hair slowly, and goosebumps started forming on her arms and at the back of her neck even under the warm weather.

"I'm sorry, by the way," Kili said lowly as he took a lock of her hair and parted it into three sections.

"For what?" Min asked with feigned innocence.

"For a lot of things," he sighed resignedly and started braiding the daisies in her hair.

"Well, I believe I have enough time to listen to them all," Min said teasingly as her shoulders slumped forward and she rested her elbows on her thighs.

Kili couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face. She was astonishingly more calm and collected than he had expected. Numerous versions of her yelling and screaming at him haunted his mind, which was the reason why he tried to avoid the conversation in the first place. After Thorin, she seemed to be on his list of top ten people one should never, ever even think of messing with, because if given the chance—and a knife—she could actually physically hurt someone. A day in Rivendell had taught him that elves were actually very peaceful creatures, and he had no clue as to where Min got her violent side. However, he was happy she did not unleash that violence at this particular moment.

"Alright then," Kili said, lighter this time. "Well, in one day, I had managed to call you a coward, act unappreciative about you risking your life for me and apparently insult you when I clearly was complimenting you."

The last one made Min scoff in humor. He may have been rattling on good things about elves, he surely did not mean them as compliments. "'Too thin' is not a compliment, my dear dwarf. But anyway, I will forgive you if you answer me this. Why were so mad at me for trying to save you? I owed you for rescuing me before and—"

"Whoa, whoa." Kili had dropped his braiding and jumped off the bench to stand in front of her. He looked rather appalled to hear her say she owed him her life, which was not true at all. He never asked her to do such a thing, and he can't believe she would ever think offering her life would be the best way to repay him.

"You don't owe me your life," Kili said, his voice hard. He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed it slightly. "You never did, Min. I really do thank you for saving me yesterday, but I don't ever want to see you in danger again, okay?"

Kili's words were very touching, and Min appreciated each one of them, but she couldn't understand the intensity of Kili's concern. They had only met a week ago, and even if they spent most of their time around each other, she wouldn't have assumed Kili would worry about her this…passionately.

"Why, Kili?" she asked. She hadn't expected it to come out as a whisper, but the proximity of Kili's face to hers was something that certainly distracted her. To top that off, his intense gaze made her squirm in her seat and look away uncomfortably. Her neck and face heated up, and she wasn't sure as to why Kili had this sort of effect on her.

"I, um," Kili stammered, "I don't know. Yesterday, when I saw you, all bloodied, I was just mad because, well, I promised I wouldn't ever let the orcs get you, and I did, and I did the stupid decision of taking that anger out on you. I just don't want to see you get hurt. Not a fourth time, or a fifth, or ever."

Min's head snapped towards Kili's upset face and studied it. She could understand his reason; she was his friend after all. But there was clearly more to it. Underneath all of Kili's friendly words, she could sense there was a deeper meaning, a more intense feeling than concern and worry. It was just unfortunate she could not pinpoint what it was, but whatever this indescribable feeling was, she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning up into a smile, ultimately causing Kili to do the same.

Clearing her throat and sitting up straighter, Min looked away then back to Kili again with pink cheeks this time. "You haven't finished my braid."

Noticing the sudden change of color in her cheeks, Kili smiled a cheeky, toothless grin and hopped on the bench again to continue his task. "My apologies, my lady."

"I told you to never call me that," Min joked. She had meant it of course.

"Oh, but you're wrong my dear," Kili countered with a smile. "You told Balin to never call you a lady."

"I don't know if I should even regard you as a creep for even remembering that."

"If you call me a creep, I'm going to keep calling you a lady," he jokingly threatened into her ear, the same time he reached over he shoulder and requested for her clasp. She absently handed it to him with a giggle and sighed in mock defeat.

"You win," she said with her arms raised in surrender.

"I love winning," he stated proudly as he finished off her braid and admired his handiwork.

"Very charming confession, master dwarf,"

"Ooh, now don't call me _that_." Hearing the last part, Kili now finally understood why Min was very particular on titles and formalities. It just didn't seem natural, definitely not between friends. He hopped down on the bench and paced around in a little circle in front of her.

"Why? Gandalf calls you that."

"He calls all of us master dwarf. I don't want you to call me that."

"What do you want me to call you then?"

Her question surprised him a little. He definitely expected her to ask him why not; he had now gotten used to her curiosity. He didn't understand why it startled him, but Kili thought it was because he had to debate on what answer to give. It was fairly simple: his name. But he wanted to answer something else, an inside joke to sort of solidify their friendship. He couldn't think of one, unfortunately, so he was stuck to giving his name,

"Just—"

Before the sound could even leave Kili's mouth, someone else called out his name, and they both turned to the courtyard entrance to see Fili and Nori with noticeable smirks on their faces.

"We're going out to the fountain to take a bath. You coming with us?" Nori asked shamelessly. He didn't think there was anything wrong with taking a bath. In the nude. With 11 other men. Not to him, clearly, but to Min, maybe there was a little.

Kili blushed upon the mention of a bath. He turned to Min to see her reaction to Nori's words and true enough, her face had also turned red, but not in embarrassment. No, tears were forming in her eyes as she tried her best to hold back her laughing. She didn't know dwarves bathed together, because elves certainly didn't. And not in public.

"I'd ask directions for the bath house, but I think you guys are pretty intent on using the fountain," Min quipped, failing to suppress a few of her incoming giggles. "I think you better go."

"But—" Just before Kili could even form any sentence at all, whether it be coherent or not, Min saved him from the embarrassment and nudged him towards his brother and friend.

"Don't worry. I actually have some reading to do," Min assured him as he slowly backed up towards the steps. She even moved to pick up the book and wave it in her hands as proof for her flustered companion. Kili didn't have a choice anyway—he certainly needed a bath and he was already being dragged away by the arms. Min watched them disappear through a corner then stared down at the book in her hands.

_Read it, Min. You know you need to_, an inner voice urged. Indeed, she needed to read it. She hoped it would give her a deeper understanding of her purpose. Until now, she had a hard time accepting it, but who wouldn't? You find out you were created for one reason, and one reason only—which didn't turn out to be a good one—and then you are told you will easily be disposed right after. It's not exactly an ideal purpose in life, even for Min.

Finally mustering as much courage as she could, Min flipped the book open and looked for the prophecy Gandalf had shown her last night. Spotting her image amidst all the flipping, she opened the book wider at that page and stared down at it looking rather amazed. Taking note of the tattered, worn out yellow pages of the book, Min had guessed this was created before she was even born, yet here was an exact image of herself staring back at her. But what put a damper on her little mind-blowing moment was the fact that this image of her was smiling, as if eager to show this reader how happy she was for having this kind of fate.

Disgusted by the sight of it, Min folded the page in half and focused now on the prophecy beside it. Her fingers glided along the words on the paper, her eyes cutting to the title above the prophecy.

"All hope for Greenwood," Min read out loud.

_The Shadows of the darkest power shall fall upon Greenwood the Great_

_And the forest shall sprout all things sour, lifeless and full of hate_

_But all hope is not lost, for the kingdom of the Woodland Realm shall bear its first daughter_

_To restore its greatness at all cost, all its greenness and freshness and clear blue water_

"That is how you were named, you know."

Min snapped her head to the direction of the coarse voice, but she was not surprised to see her wizard friend emerging from the shadows of a tree. Gandalf wore a weary smile as he sat down beside her, looking as if their talk last night never even existed.

"Miniel means 'first daughter'. Your father gave you that name," Gandalf elaborated, pointing to the words in the book with his staff.

"I thought I was created as a pawn," Min blurted impatiently. She hated how Gandalf would always beat around the bush, and has learned along the way that if you want the truth out of him, you had to demand it yourself. "Why does it say _I'm_ going to be the one to restore Greenwood back into its old state?"

"Because without you, the Valar would not know how to defeat this evil. If you think you play a rather insignificant role in this, Miniel, you are very wrong."

Min took a moment to contemplate Gandalf's words. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was just looking at this all in the wrong way. Was it really so bad to sacrifice her life for the sake of, well, Middle-earth as whole? If her guards could, without any resistance, why couldn't she? Maybe she should just accept her fate.

"Gandalf, maybe I shouldn't go to Valinor," Min concluded thoughtfully.

"You father will never allow it—"

"My father will never allow me to make my own decisions," Min interrupted with a small smile on her face. "I know it will be painful for him, but this should be a sacrifice he is willing to make. Who knows what this evil is capable of? What if millions of lives are at stake?"

Gandalf looked at her with a disapproving gaze. Creating a living being with its own will and thought was another flaw the Valar did not take into consideration. "Miniel, I do not want you to disobey King Thranduil. I am happy you are making a noble decision, but I do not think it is the best one."

"And why not?" Min retorted with a knit of her eyebrows. She had just offered her life for his safety and he was _declining_?

"Evil will never triumph, Miniel. The Valar may have created you for a certain purpose, but I do not think that is your only purpose. I think you are capable of many great things, and as long as you are here, you are not safe."

"But Gandalf—"

"It is not my right to hold you back from the things you wish to do, but please take what I said into consideration," Gandalf pleaded, taking her hands in his. He stooped down to her level and looked her directly in the eye with as much desperation his eyes could muster.

Min's determination now faltered. Yes, she admitted, she was not as wise as her father, or even Gandalf. Whatever they told her, she knew well enough to remember and keep in mind. She had never thought of defying any of their orders and requests, not even when her father commanded her to go to Valinor. As much as she wanted to do that now, she didn't have the heart to.

She sighed resignedly and nodded. Gandalf smiled at her, despite her reluctance, but it instantly faded when, without another word, Min let go of his hands and walked away with the book in hand.


	17. Author's Note

**Hello my dear readers! If you are reading this right now, I humbly thank you for reading all the chapters because I swear, writing them became a nightmare haha. Okay, so I know you guys might be wondering, "what the hell is this? Where's the next chapter?" Well, there might not be a next chapter.**

**I have decided to stop this story. At first, I was really excited by it, but while I was writing, I realized I did not plan it as thoroughly as I thought. I still want to write it though, because, I don't know, I think it really makes for a fantastic fic. I just didn't write it as good as I thought I would. Which leads me to my next decision: I will re-write it.**

** I'll plan a different plot though. It won't be too different from this one, it'll just be more flawless haha! And I don't really like my writing style here, it kind of feels forced and redundant, and too serious. I'm also thinking of a more consistent personality for Min, because like what my only review had said haha she was kind of a mary sue. But to explain that though, Miniel had been sheltered her whole life, which means she had never left Mirkwood, ever. But she was still allowed to train and hunt so she wasn't exactly a noob or anything. She was just scared because she never thought she'd ever have to encounter something like that, and c'mon, if you've ever encountered a group of orcs hunting you down for the first time, wouldn't you be scared? And yeah, I think her reaction to Thorin should've been a bit more frightened because, well, he was threatening to kill her, why wouldn't you be scared?**

**Anyway, I actually have the whole story mapped out, I just need to work on character design, cause I know I'm very inconsistent with that haha.**

**So I hope you enjoyed this very short journey with me, and I hope you'll be there for the next one. I'll take this one down when I'm ready with the next one. :-)**

**Goodbye for now!**

**PS. Thanks to Nanicane for the review, to EclipsedSun, Green-lovershaters, MerlynnPendragon, SailorSedna052, You cant rush science, dragonrider347, kitsune-miko-witch, marie potter riddle and tibreezy for favoriting this story and to Adaya Black, Castiel Angel Heart, Gingah18, Green-lovershaters, Heartless-JT, Jordan Lynn 7, MerlynnPendragon, SailorSedna052, Sleiwd, Zinverai, almaloun and ocmanda for following this story!**


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